Another Side, Another Story
by rarmaster
Summary: A collection of scenes that just don't fit into the Falling to Pieces series. Why? Because they were a) scrapped, b) an original draft that was changed, c) relevant to other characters (such as Aqua and Ven or Zack), d) something that happened prior to the Truth Hurts, or lastly e) random AUs (often crossovers with magik's universe) that I wrote purely because I was bored.
1. Intro

**Update June 2015:**

**AN/**

ASAS, (Another Side, Another Story), is a collection of scenes that don't fit into FtPverse mainstream continuity. Reasons why are as follows.

- It involves a different set of characters (ex: Aqua and Ven)

- Timing (ex: further thoughts on Falling to Pieces, scenes that happen during CoM, scenes that happens before the Truth Hurts)

- Scrapped/Extra content (self explanatory, largely)

- Original drafts

- AUs

Scenes in ASAS concerning not-main characters or events prior to the Truth Hurts should be considered canon. Obviously, scraps/original drafts/AUs should not be.

A full navigation of ASAS broken down by where they fall in the FtPverse series (as opposed to by chapter number, like it is on here) is provided on the ASAS page on the FtPverse blogspot. There's a link on my profile, or it's at the blog url /p/asas.

**x**

**Labels:**

CoM - happens during Chain of Memories, or, my re-imagining of it

BBS - this happens during Ftpverse's take on BBS, which is slightly different from canon, as you can see in these scenes/

Prequel - anything that happens before the Truth Hurts but isn't CoM or BBS

TH - relevant to / happens during The Truth Hurts

F t P - relevant to / happens during Falling to Pieces (FFN doesn't like the FtP acronym so I can't simply put FtP in chapter titles, I have to do spaces)

NF - relevant to / happens during Nothing's Fair

DI - relevant to / happens during Dead Inside

ATR - relevant to / happens during All that Remains

Scraps - self-explanatory, more often than not old documents I found lying around and went "well I didn't go this direction with the story in the end but hey this exists"

AUs - well, it's, AUs

Extra content - planning content such as dialogue drafts, scene notes, potential few-paragraphs-long snippets that I thought about putting in a scene but didn't. Has become a lot less frequent because it takes a lot of time to put that together

Original drafts - self-explanatory again

Misc - things that didn't make it into the story and are not canon but that I didn't feel comfortable titling scraps or AU ((so far only chapters 85 and 86 have been titled this and it may be entirely because I really _really _like those two scenes I just couldn't make them canon))


	2. (scraps) Throwaway Scenes

collection of throwaway scenes. I figured instead of just giving you one three paragraph scene, I'd gather up all the shorter throwaway scenes and throw them together in one chapter. If you WANT, for the purpose of easier finding (say when you want to read one of these for laughs) I will split them up into separate chapters.

* * *

><p><strong>Can't Sleep<strong>

**~in an EARLY draft, I had planned that Sora and Riku would just travel the worlds. I never expected the Rebellion to be so important…**

Sora couldn't sleep. He lay, curled up on the ground, _trying_ to go to sleep, but it wasn't working. He sighed, and glanced over at Riku, who was sleeping rather peacefully. _Of course… HE can sleep just fine._ He shook his head. _No, I can't be mad at him. And not over something so stupid._

He sighed again, casting another glance Riku's way. _I wonder HOW he's sleeping so well though. He hasn't been home in what… three months? More than that? He must be worried sick about Namine… _A small bit of anger flashed through him at that, and he quickly pushed it down. _I am not angry at Riku!_ he told himself again.

He groaned, rolling onto his back and staring up at the stars. _I want to go home… _he thought wistfully. _I can't though… not like this… Kairi can't- _He groaned again. _Oh man, how am I going to explain all this to her? She probably hates me…_

**Did you just punch the wall?**

** ~don't know why I wrote this. Maybe I'll still use it.**

In rage, he punched the wall. White hot pain shot up his arm, and he gasped, biting back a cry of pain, realizing just how _stupid_ that idea had been.

"Did you just… punch the wall?" Sora asked, staring at him in shock.

Riku slowly nodded, cradling his injured hand.

"You alright?" Sora asked.

He nodded again, carefully moving his fingers to make sure they weren't broken. It _hurt_ to move them, but he _could_ move them. That was good. And he wasn't bleeding. Much.

**I'm not doing this!**

** ~I wrote this after playing Terra's story, where a similar thing happened to Zack…**

"NO!" Sora shouted. "I won't…" he trailed off, and just stayed there, clutching his head.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked, slowly walking over. He knelt down next to Sora and slowly reached out.

"Don't… touch me…" Sora hissed. Riku pulled away, confused. Something was off. Sora then gasped, almost in pain. "Get away!" he warned. "Get away from me!"

Riku quickly complied, backing up a few feet. Sora screamed, and his form flickered once or twice, changing to a dark shadow, then back again. Then there was silence. After a moment, Sora finally pushed himself up. He turned to Riku, eyes filled with terror as he slowly pulled out his blade.

"Sora?" Riku asked. "What are you doing?"

"I- I'm not-" Sora gasped, and then rushed forward. Riku only managed to pull his blade in time to block Sora's.

"Sora!" Riku shouted.

"I'm sorry!" Sora stammered. "I'm not- this isn't me…. I'm not doing this… I'm…" He paused, and then jumped back, ready to strike again. "You've got to help me Riku!" Sora shouted, frantic now. "I can't fight it-"

"I'm not fighting you!" Riku declared, lowering his blade.

Sora raised his, looking scared to death. He had no control over himself. "You're going to have to," he replied.

Riku turned away. He didn't want to do this. Slowly, he raised his blade again.

"Don't hold back…" Sora said, a small smile playing on his lips. He ran forward again.

**He watches her go**

** ~funny little story about this one! I had written something that said "he watched her go" and I accidently hit something and it changed the format of the sentence, and that sentence alone sounded so eerie… I wrote this**

Sora watched her leave, and tears rolled down his cheeks. "No," he breathed. "No!"

He fell to his knees, shaken. What had he done? Why had he let this go? She was everything to him, and now she was gone. Forever.

All because of his darkness. His darkness rebelling against him, wanting to destroy him.

He fell to his knees, and his head throbbed. His darkness flashed, for a second he was dark, and then he wasn't. "No, no, no" he sobbed. He looked at his reflection, his dark reflection. "Why are you doing this?" he shouted.

His reflection, his darkness, it just laughed.

But he didn't need an answer to know why.

Up till then, she was his one link to sanity. The one thing keeping the darkness down. And now that she was gone—

The darkness was free.

**Joseph**

** ~did this actually make it into Dead Inside? I don't remember, and I'm too lazy to look =P I don't THINK it did, I changed a lot before I actually reached this point…**

"Who are you?" Namine asked, looking curiously at the boy who was sitting in the corner of the room.

"Miss!" the boy said quickly, standing up. "You're awake! My name's Joseph. I have a message for you, miss, from Riku. He figured that you were unconscious because of your memories, and asked me tell you something, because he couldn't stay. He told me to tell you that you've gotta try and fight them. That, and he said that he thought you had stopped doing this, and thought it was a bit ridiculous, but I don't think he wanted me to tell y- oh… whoops."

Namine chuckled.

**Please!**

** ~I wrote this while listening to Ven's theme…**

"Please, Sora," Kairi pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Don't do this. Turn back while you still can."

He stood there, still in Dark Mode, still holding his Keyblade. He stood in front of the Keyhole, that would be completed oh so soon. He turned away from her, shaking his head. "It's too late to turn back," he whispered. "I've come this far. If I go back now…" he clutched his free hand to his heart, and then looked determinedly up at the Keyhole. "I can't go back. I will do this. I have to."

"Sora!" she cried, staring at him in disbelief. She was shocked, angry, confused. She couldn't tell if the tears that rolled down her cheeks were from sadness or anger. She didn't know what was wrong with him. She turned away, and bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears.

"Please! If you can still hear me-" she shouted, hoping to get to that last bit of light that was there in Sora's heart. "Turn back. You don't have to do this. You know that!" She was sobbing now, and her voice barely escaped her tears "Sora, my Sora, come back. Please-" She broke down into sobs and lay crying on the ground, so scared. Sora was gone. The Sora she knew was gone. The boy standing in front of her wasn't Sora, just some pawn of the darkness.

He turned and looked at her, a bit of pity in his eyes. But he didn't run and comfort her, as he would have only a few weeks ago. He turned and walked away, as if he didn't even care.

But some part of him did. The tiny bit of light left in his heart broke down crying too, ashamed of what the rest of him was doing. Ashamed that he had made Kairi this scared. Ashamed that apparently he no longer cared.

**She called you a toy. A TOY!**

** ~I had planned this conversation, then it just NEVER fit, so… yeah… maybe something similar to it will happen later. Idk.**

"I really don't like Larxene," Namine said.

Riku paused, and frowned. "Where did that come from?" he asked.

"It's been bothering me for a while," Namine replied. "Just, some of the things she did-"

Riku laughed, stopping her. "Does it matter? It's just what happened, nothing more. Why are you worrying about it?"

"She called you a toy, Riku. A _toy!_"

He slowly scowled. "So?" he asked, trying to remain calm. His voice was rough though.

"How does that not bother you?" Namine asked, turning to him in disbelief.

Riku swallowed. "Like I said, it's what happened, why should I worry about it now?"

"But, Riku- of all things to be called. I've heard Replicas called quite a few harsh things, but- _toy!_"

Riku shrugged, pushing the matter aside. "I don't care."

"I think you do…" Namine whispered.

He sighed, turning away. "To be honest," he whispered. "I try not to think about it much. But I don't care about what anyone calls me. They can call me whatever they like. 'Fake' or 'puppet' or even 'toy', I don't care. But listen," he slowly grinned. "As soon as someone calls _you_ that, they're dead."

Namine laughed.


	3. (DI) A Strange Boy

For starters I am NOT shipping Aqua and Ven! What's going on here is something similar to a sibling relationship (which... you know, I kinda feel that's what it is in the games). Aqua's just got this weird protective older sister complex sorta thing.

And yes, I do realize I said scene _singular_. However, Joseph delayed this about... 4000ish words? Ah well... whatever...

If you were wondering why this didn't end up in Dead Inside, as I've said, there's just TOO MUCH CRUD going on over there right now.

Soo- It goes over here! YAY!

Plus, this story IS called Another Side, Another Story. I think this classifies as that. So... if I ever write anything more with these two Keyblade Wielders, you will MOST LIKELY be seeing it here. And, you probably will be seeing more from them, because Aqua is oddly fun to write for...

**Update Feb 2014: **I forgot to mention but this scene happens around roughly ch80 or so of Dead Inside. While Riku and Namine are in HB. Yeah.

* * *

><p>They were in Twilight Town. There had been a problem with a bunch of lesser Nobodies hanging out in the area as of late, a problem which that greatly disturbed the usually peaceful locals who weren't quite used to chaos. Since no one else seemed to be able to take care of it, they were stuck with the job.<p>

And, as a result of that, Tram Common was filled with a lot more magic, slashing Keyblades, and dying Nobodies than it normally was. The source of the magic: a young woman with blue hair who mainly stood on the edge of the battle, throwing spell after stronger spell into the fray. The source of the Keyblade slashing: a boy in his mid teens with spiky blonde hair who wielded his Keyblade backhand.

"Hey, Aqua!" the boy exclaimed suddenly, catching sight of a poster on the wall. "Do you think I could enter the next Struggle Match? It's not too far away from now!"

The blue haired woman, Aqua, sighed. She cast a Blizzaga to kill a Dusk that had been sneaking up on the boy. "Ven, we really don't have time for that," she called. She felt bad for having to forbid him from entering the match, as they hadn't done anything "fun" for quite some time now, months had it been? However, she had to look after him, and she certainly didn't have time for things like that. She still hadn't gotten anywhere in her search for Terra.

"C'mon Aqua," Ven pleaded (though he took out a Dusk while doing so). "Why not? We could use a day's break! I bet you could enter, too!"

She was silent for a moment, thinking, and took that time to kill a nearby Dusk with her blade. Finally, she asked: "When is it?"

"Next week!" Ven replied, grinning. "Does that mean yes?"

"That means I'll think about it," Aqua laughed.

Ven made a face, unsure if he should be disappointed or excited. He decided not to worry about it and went back to killing Dusks. Aqua did the same. They said nothing for a minute or so, in which time they managed to get rid of the rest of the Dusks.

"Alright!" Ven laughed. "That was the last of them!" He banished blade and then turned to Aqua, grinning. "Now what do we-" he stopped rather suddenly, frowning.

"What?" Aqua asked.

"Did you hear that?" he asked in response.

Aqua frowned and strained her ears. She couldn't hear whatever it was Ven was talking about, and started to ask him about that, but didn't need to. He was already running off, blade in his hand again. She ran after him.

She could hear it now.

"What. The. HECK!" someone was shouting. "Since WHEN did the Organization start sending lesser Nobodies to Twilight Town?"

Aqua rounded the corner, and was quite surprised to be faced with two Berserkers. Ven was fighting one off to the side, and there were three more standing in a circle around-

She gasped.

A young boy, at least a few years younger than Ven, was standing in the center of that circle, frantically trying to keep the Berserkers away with his wooden sword and shouting insults at them.

"Does Saix want me dead _that_ badly?" the boy continued, sounding rather exasperated. "Because this- Is. Ridiculous!" He impacted each word by whacking a nearby Berserker. "I guess I should be flattered! Saix thinks I'm annoying enough to send Berserkers after me instead of just trying to kill me when he sees me! WONDERFUL!"

He angrily whacked a nearby Berserker, though it didn't do much more than anger it. It raised its claymore and attacked, knocking the boy back quite a few feet. Aqua quickly dodged past the Berserkers in front of her and started to make her way over to him.

"I'm alright!" he called before she could get there. "Don't worry about me!"

She stopped, reluctantly, as she didn't entirely believe him. But, figuring that even if he _was_ hurt it would be the least of her worries right now, she turned to the raging Berserker. She quickly brought her blade up to stop a blow, gritting her teeth. Berserkers were _very_ strong. She shoved it back and then cast Thundaga. The spell hit and stunned all but one Berserker. That Berserker happened to be the one Ven had just killed, however, so it didn't quite matter.

Aqua quickly unleashed a flurry of attacks on the closest Berserker, hoping to take care of it before the stun wore off. Some of the Berserkers farther away were starting to move again-

Ven's Keyblade whizzed past her and hit one of those Berserkers, Stopping it. Ven had worked his way up to his finisher, Twisted Hours, and was now taking advantage of it. His Keyblade flew back to his hand, and he chucked it again, before running closer to the Berserker (catching his Keyblade as he did so) so that he could take care of it. She watched him attack it for a second, before throwing a Blizzara at the Berserker she was fighting.

"Hey, Aqua!" Ven called. "Watch this!"

He had knocked the claymore out of the Berserker's hands and then had picked it up. He was currently holding it, ready to attack, a grin on his face. He positioned himself so that he was standing between two Berserkers and then unleashed the attack.

One of the Berserkers died.

The other looked like it was close to dying. And, sure enough, Ven hardly had time to finish a combo before it collapsed to its knees and vanished.

"I'm impressed!" Aqua laughed, throwing another Blizzara at the Berserker she was fighting. Surprisingly, that was all it took to finish it off. She turned and cast Blizzara again, aiming at a different Berserker. It hit its mark, sending her into Diamond Dust. She quickly used it to kill the second to last Berserker. Ven finished off the last one using the same tactic he had used before.

Once the Berserkers were gone, Ven headed over to help the boy. Aqua glanced around the area, making sure that no more Berserkers were going to show up. Once she was positive that things were relatively okay, she made her way over to Ven and the boy.

"I'm alright," the boy explained as he dusted himself off. He sounded rather annoyed. "I'm used to Berserkers. Just- I don't understand why they're _here_. Twilight Town is USUALLY pretty peaceful!" He made a face.

"You come here often?" Aqua asked.

He nodded.

"I get ice cream here as often as tw- my guardian lets me, which _might_ be a lot less if he finds out there's Berserkers hanging around…" He sighed. "Anyway! My name's Joseph!" He grinned. "Thanks for helping me out. I'm no good with an actual weapon." He lifted his wooden sword, shrugged, and then shoved it into his belt.

* * *

><p>Ven laughed. "Hey, it's no problem," he said. "I'm sure if you practice you'll be good in no time." He grinned, too, mirroring Joseph's childlike excitement. "I'm Ventus, but you can call me Ven."<p>

The grin on Joseph's face shifted, going from childlike to sometime more sly. "Nah," he said, eyes glinting with amusement. "I think I'll call you Ventus just to bug you."

Aqua laughed.

"And who are you?" Joseph asked, turning to her.

"Aqua," she replied.

"Nice to meet you," Joseph said, nodding slightly. "I should get you guys some ice cream as repayment for helping me out."

Aqua politely shook her head. "Thank you," she told him. "But I'm afraid we can't take you up on that offer-"

"Munny's no issue," Joseph laughed, reaching into his pocket. Aqua watched, almost expecting him to produce a handful of larger munny pieces, but was surprised when he pulled out four popsicle sticks instead. Each had the word WINNER branded on it.

"Whoa!" Ven exclaimed, staring. Aqua thought about saying something, but was distracted when Joseph frowned in confusion.

"That's funny…" he whispered. "I could've have sworn I only had three yesterday…" He shook his head and then glanced up, the grin returning to his face. "Whatever, c'mon!"

And before Aqua could say any more to deter him from getting them ice cream, he started off.


	4. (DI) Thoughts of a Friend

I know what you're thinking: "HEY! where's our update to dead inside! SHE USUALLY UPDATES THAT FIRST!"

well, Dead Inside is at the moment having technical issues (two scenes that I put together to be one chapter, even though they would work better as separate chapters, but are a few hundred words short of my typical chapter mark. going to try and come up with a little extra so that I can post the two scenes separately)

And, thanks AGAIN Aqua, for making me have to emphasize that I am not shipping you and Ven (merely because some people will work so hard to get evidence for a pairing, they'll take just about ANYTHING that could POSSIBLY be evidence. I don't think you readers are like that, but I'd rather be safe than be accused of something I'm not doing)  
>As I've said before, all this is is Aqua having an older sisterprotective attitude towards him. besides, if you read far enough, you'll see where she started insisting that she was shipping herself with Terra.

erm... that's... about it...

I added Joseph recognizing Ven (which, might not have REALLY hit Joseph until he saw Ven with the ice cream. that makes sense, yeah?) It's not MUCH. But I still don't think Joseph would bother explaining. He knows that the concept of Replicas is confusing, even for Keyblade Wielders

...enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Should we follow him?" Ven asked, turning to her. His voice, however, suggested that he had been asking something more like: "can I follow him?", which she smiled at. Ven was such a kid sometimes.<p>

"I don't think we get a choice in this matter," she laughed.

Ven nodded, excitedly, and ran after Joseph.

Aqua sighed, and then followed after the boys. By the time she caught up to them, Joseph had purchased the ice cream, and Ven was already eating his. Joseph handed Aqua her ice cream. He started to take a bite of his own, before pausing, casting a glance at Ven.

He frowned.

"You… remind me of someone I knew…" he said, slowly, half to himself. "I can't believe I didn't notice it till just now… but…"

"What?" Ven laughed, confused.

Joseph shook his head. "Weird…" he whispered.

He slowly took a bite of his ice cream, though he still looked incredibly confused. Aqua started to ask about it, only to realize she had just taken a bite of her own ice cream, and therefore couldn't say anything just yet. Before she _could_ swallow and say anything, Joseph asked:

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Dealing with a Nobody problem," Ven replied.

"What f-oh gosh!"

Aqua turned to see what had caught Joseph's attention, and was _very_ surprised to find another Berserker standing there. She started to summon her blade, but Ven stopped her.

"I got it!" he laughed. He ate the last chunk of his ice cream, summoned his own blade and then rushed in to attack.

Aqua watched for a second, making sure that he did, indeed, have it taken care of. Ven had a habit of getting overconfident at times, and that often led to him getting hurt.

"Am I attracting them or something?" Joseph muttered.

Aqua turned to him. He was regarding his ice cream with an odd expression, but she had a feeling it wasn't the ice cream he had a problem with. She knelt down so could look him in the eye. She frowned slightly, now that she could get a better look at him. His face, though still structured like a child's, portrayed a sense of seriousness and understanding that even Ven didn't have. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Joseph," she said, kindly. "What were you saying earlier? Someone wanted to… to kill you?"

He stared at her a moment. She couldn't quite read the look in his eyes.

Then, he said: "Saix." He was very rough about the way he said it.

"Who is he?" Aqua pressed. "And why does he want to kill you?"

Joseph turned away. "You're not going to understand," he whispered.

"Try and make me understand," she replied, voice still quiet and kind. "I want to help you out. You shouldn't have to deal with something like that!"

"You have to promise not to freak out, kay?"

She nodded. "Of course."

He turned back to her, his eyes sharp. "I am a Replica," he explained, voice steady. "But I am not Programmed to fight, I am not Programmed for anything really. And, in Saix's eyes, that makes me useless; a mistake. He has, so far, killed every other mistake but me."

Aqua couldn't help herself. She gasped. She quickly covered her mouth, though, as if it would cover it up. Joseph threw her a wry look.

"You're freaking," he stated plainly. There was humor in his voice, though, and he did finish off his ice cream as he said this.

"Well-" she began.

"Aqua!" Ven shouted. "Watch out! There's another- ah!"

Aqua turned just in time to see Ven get hit by one Berserker while he had been trying to warn her that another had shown up. He was thrown past her, hitting the wall of the ice cream shop and then falling to the ground. He didn't get back up.

"Ven!" she screamed, scrambling to go help him. Joseph caught her by the arm.

"Take care of the Berserkers," he told her firmly, taking her half-eaten ice cream from her. "I'll help him out."

She stared at him for a second, unsure if she should listen. She wanted to help Ven; she _needed_ to help Ven. How could she be sure that he'd be okay if she let Joseph look after him? And yet-

Yet Joseph couldn't fight. She could.

"Go!" Joseph commanded.

She nodded and summoned her blade, noticing that Joseph stared at it for a split second. She charged into battle before she bothered to give that much thought, though. She located the Berserker that Ven had been fighting originally (it had less health) and finished it off so that she wouldn't have to worry about fighting two Berserkers at the same time. The second Berserker didn't last long, though. After a few Blizzagas, it was dead.

"He's alright," Joseph informed her when she came over to make sure Ven was okay. Ven was now leaning against the wall. "I gave him a potion."

Aqua nodded, but knelt down next to Ven anyway.

"Hey, Ven, you okay?" she asked, gently placing a hand on his cheek. He rolled his eyes and pushed her hand away.

"I'm fine, Aqua," he laughed.

She smiled, and then ruffled his hair. He made a face, but didn't say anything about it.

"Hey, Aqua," Joseph said. She turned to him. "Could you… summon your blade for me?" he asked, slowly, as if he weren't quite certain if he were allowed to ask such a question. "I- I want to see what it looks like."

"Sure thing," she replied, and summoned her blade for him. He didn't seem shocked at all when she did, and stared at it with quite a lot of interest, almost as if he were studying it.

"That's a Keyblade," he stated.

She frowned slightly, wondering where he had learned of the Keyblade. He somehow managed to follow her train of thought, because he then said:

"You learn a lot of random things when you spend time with the Organization. Besides… my friend has one."

"Friend?" Aqua asked, now very confused. She hadn't known of anyone but her and Ven and one other person who wielded the Keyblade these days. Especially with Terra lost, and-

He couldn't be talking about Terra, could he?

She found it a tad odd that Terra and this boy would be friends but, then again, Joseph seemed like he could befriend just about anyone.

"What's his name?" she whispered, though she was almost scared to receive an answer. What if it wasn't Terra? But… what if it _was?_ If it really was him, then where had he been all this time? Why hadn't he been searching for her like she had been searching for him?

She was sure that he wanted to see her as much as she wanted to see him.

And yet-

"His name's Sora," Joseph replied, breaking her thought process.

A wave of disappointment surged through her, though she scolded herself for it. It was only a small hope that he had actually been talking about Terra.

And, besides, now that she thought about it, considering the state Terra had been in when she saw him last…

"Aqua," Ven said, quietly. "Do you recognize that name?"

"Hmm?" she asked, her thoughts still on Terra. She didn't quite understand what Ven was referring too.

"Sora," Ven continued. "I feel like… like I've heard that name before."

His hand hovered over his heart as he said this.

After a moment of thinking, Aqua nodded in agreement. She, too, felt like she had heard that name before, but she wasn't entirely sure _when, _or_ where_, for that matter. Her brain decided it was going to be a bit fuzzy at the moment.

Though… it had a habit of doing that a lot when she thought of Terra…

She didn't have time to consider that fact. Another Berserker showed up. She groaned and hopped to her feet again, though she was noticeably less enthusiastic about it. However, it turned out that she didn't even need to worry about the Berserker. Someone came up from behind it and killed it rather swiftly.

"Gosh," said someone laughed, though the laugh was a tad nervous. "What's a Nobody like that doin' in Twilight Town?"


	5. (DI) War of Replicas

ermm... I don't THINK I have anything to say...

oh. right.

Writing for Mickey is REALLY FLIPPING HARD! I... I THINK I did okay... but-

It's Mickey. I feel like something's still off...

* * *

><p>"Gosh," said someone laughed, though the laugh was a tad nervous. "What's a Nobody like that doin' in Twilight Town?"<p>

Aqua stared for a second at the newcomer, almost unable to believe her eyes. Standing before her was none other than King Mickey himself. Sure, she wasn't _too_ surprised about his appearance here, as he seemed pretty intent to at least _try_ and help her out with her search for Terra, but it was still a bit of a shock. They hadn't planned to meet up for another week.

"Sorry!" Joseph called. "I _think_ I'm attracting them."

The King frowned, and Aqua couldn't help but frown slightly, too. King Mickey was the kind of person you didn't want to see frown, no matter what the reason may be.

"That, or someone's sitting around and summoning them," Joseph added, as he helped Ven to his feet (Aqua had a feeling that Ven had insisted). He had a bit of trouble doing so; he was still holding Aqua's ice cream. "Which, I wouldn't put it past like… L to do. But… I don't think _she_ can summon Berserkers." He paused a second, making sure that Ven could stand alright, and then continued: "Unless, of course, 37 had a say in the matter- or _he's_ here, summoning them. But- I can't imagine why _either_ of them would be- unless- oh- ugh…" He made a rather disgusted face.

"Okay," he said after a moment. "I'm going to stop there, because 1: you guys aren't following me at all, 2: I don't really need to be thinking about that, 3: I don't really _want_ to be thinking about that and D, or- four- or-" He paused. "No, I didn't have a fourth point. Nevermind."

Aqua thought about asking him to explain a bit more, but then decided that maybe it would be better if she didn't.

"So what you're sayin' is…" Mickey said slowly, regarding Joseph with a curious expression. "Someone's been sendin' these Nobodies after ya?"

"Well," Joseph frowned, taking a second to hand Aqua her ice cream. She stared at it, not sure what she was going to do with it. It was beginning to melt, but she didn't want to eat in front of the King-

"I don't know," Joseph continued. "A bunch of them showed up right after I arrived here… and a bunch keep showing up-" He sighed. "I don't know," he said again. "I can't think of any other logical explanation than that someone's sending them after me."

"I wonder what for…" Mickey muttered.

"Oh, Saix has finally decided to actually _do_ something about me, that's all," Joseph laughed. "Though I don't remember doing anything _nearly_ annoying enough for him to send Berserkers after me! I mean, I haven't _actually_…" he trailed off, listing a few things to himself, quieter than anyone else could hear.

Aqua laughed slightly at that.

"So," Ven said (Joseph was still talking to himself), trying to stand a bit straighter. He seemed like he was still a bit out of it. "What brings you here, Your Majesty?"

Joseph stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to Mickey, eyes wide.

"'Your Majesty'?" he mouthed, almost in shock.

And then, much to Aqua's surprise (and probably to everyone else's) Joseph bowed, right then and there, before the King.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," he said. "I did not realize- nor did I intend to be rude with you. I feel terrible; I did not even bother to offer my name. I am Joseph."

"No worries, Joseph," Mickey laughed. "We don't have to let formalities get in the way."

Joseph straightened, a wry smile on his face. "29 told me to always let formalities get in the way. He says lack of formality is the easiest way for someone like me to get killed."

"Who's 29?" Ven asked.

"29th Vexen Replica created," Joseph replied, almost as if on cue. "He's also my guardian."

"And you're a Replica, too?" Mickey asked.

Joseph nodded, and then made a face. "By the simplest terms of Replica, yes," he said, slowly. "However, I am not an exact Replica. You see, s- Your Majesty, I am, basically, an experiment that Master Vexen conducted, so that he could see what happened when he combined Data of more than person."

Aqua noted that he said all this like it was a rehearsed speech, and couldn't help but wonder whether or not it actually was.

"Hold on a sec," Joseph said, rather suddenly. "I will be right back!"

He ran for the ice cream shop.

"That's one special kid," Mickey remarked, watching him go.

Aqua nodded in agreement.

"So what does bring you here, Your Majesty?" she asked after a moment.

"Welp, I heard there was some sort of disturbance in this World," Mickey explained. "So I thought I'd come check it out. But it seems you guys have got it taken care of…"

"More or less," Ven said, grinning slightly.

"What about you?" Mickey asked, turning to Aqua. "Any news on where Terra might be?"

She shook her head. "Nothing so far," she sighed.

She had only been searching for him for a few months, of course, and she had a feeling that finding Terra was going to be more complicated than just searching the Worlds. But she didn't even know where she was supposed to start when it came to finding out more about what had happened to him.

Well… actually… she had a rough idea…

But she didn't really want to explore anything concerning _him_, just yet.

"Gee, I wish I could help, Aqua," Mickey said, sighing slightly as he did so. "There's just so many Worlds that need takin' care of, I don't have time for-"

"It's fine, Your Majesty," Aqua interrupted, not really wanting to hear the explanation. She had heard this explanation at least once before, and she hadn't wanted to hear it then, either. The fact that the King was explaining himself to her…

"You know, I meant to ask you guys about that," Joseph said. He had returned, another ice cream in hand. He immediately handed it to Mickey. "I think that's a lucky one," he said as Mickey took it from him. "Got a WINNER stick in it, probably. Anyway," he turned to Aqua. "Why do you guys have to go and deal with all the problems throughout the Worlds?"

Aqua gestured for him to wait; she was trying to save her melting ice cream. Now that Joseph had bought an ice cream for the King, she didn't feel so guilty about eating her own.

"It's our job as Keyblade Wielders," she explained once she had the chance. "We have to help keep the Worlds in balance."

Joseph frowned.

"Sora's got a Keyblade…" he muttered. "Why isn't he-" He stopped rather suddenly, like something had occurred to him. "Oh, nevermind, I bet I know why…"

"Hmm?" Mickey asked.

Joseph shook his head.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," he whispered. "But it's not my place to say."

Ven tensed.

Aqua frowned, wondering what was wrong. She started to ask-

Another Berserker appeared.

However, they didn't need to worry about it. Mickey summoned his blade and took care of it in only a few combos. He didn't even drop his ice cream.

"Ya said someone was sendin' these guys after ya?" he asked Joseph as soon as the Berserker was gone. His voice was completely serious.

"I said _might_…" Joseph replied with a shrug. "I'm not entirely sure. But, you know what, don't worry about it. This is Rebellion business. You don't need to worry about getting involved. We can handle it."

"What rebellion?" Mickey demanded.

Joseph shifted slightly, looking as if he didn't quite like having such a stern question directed at him. "Replica Rebellion against Saix," he explained, and then frowned. "Or, rather, it's nearly a war between Replicas. Everything's been screwed up since Saix took charge of the Program."

"War?" Aqua asked.

Joseph merely shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"Might as well be," he laughed.

"If it's a war…" Mickey said slowly. "Then we should be helpin' out."

Joseph shook his head, firmly, the laughter falling from his face.

"You don't _want_ to help out," he told them, firmly. Amazingly, though, his voice remained kind as he said it. "And forgive me if I'm being rude, but it is one bloody battlefield to be on. I wouldn't want to see any of you get hurt. Let us Replicas handle it, you have other things you need to be worrying about. Besides-" he laughed, then. "The moment Saix is stupid enough to do something that pisses Riku off, the war will be over. And the rate things are going, that moment seems like it's coming pretty soon."

Aqua glanced over at the King. He turned to her, his eyes narrowed slightly with determination. After a moment, though, his face relaxed, and he sighed. Aqua nodded, understanding.

There wasn't much they could do to argue this point.

Unless…

"Could we help with anything else?" Aqua asked. "Surely there's more you need than to just fight."

Joseph started to shake his head, but then paused. "Well…" he said, slowly. "If you guys happen to know anything concerning memories…"

Aqua made a face. She didn't happen to know much on that subject.

"Nope," Mickey said. "I don't know much about that. Sorry, Joseph."

"Ah, it's alright," Joseph laughed. "He- They'll work it out. We'll… find something, eventually." He grinned at them. "I'm going to head home, now," he said. "You guys don't need any more Berserkers ruining your day, and I need to talk to 29 about something."

He saluted, then pulled a star shard out of his pocket and activated it.

He was gone.


	6. (DI) Unbreakable Chains

heheh. I think the chapter title's fitting.

yeah. not done with this yet. well, NOW we are, this is the last chapter.

I don't THINK there's anymore to say. Dead Inside will be delayed a bit longer. Sorry. And... that's it.

* * *

><p>Aqua sighed.<p>

"I wonder if he'll be okay…" she muttered.

"Aw, I'm sure he'll be fine," Mickey told her. Then he paused. "Unless, of course, you were talkin' about-"

"I was talking about Joseph," Aqua laughed. She took the last bite of her ice cream, and then discarded the empty popsicle stick in a nearby trashcan. "He seems like a good kid… right, Ven?"

Ven didn't answer.

"Ven?" Aqua asked, turning to him. He still seemed pretty tense, and there was a troubled look on his face. She frowned, noting the look. She had seen it often enough, especially recently…

"Ven, are you okay?" she asked, again.

"Sora," he whispered. His eyes were fixed firmly on the ground.

Mickey stopped eating his ice cream for a second, a rather confused expression on his face."Sora?" he muttered. "I know that name…"

Aqua gasped in shock. _Now_ she remembered why she knew that name. She had met a boy by that name years ago. Seven years, to be exact, though it felt like a lot less to her. He had been little, and full of light. She had also seen… a certain potential in him.

And she had chosen him to wield the Keyblade.

"A few months ago," Mickey said. "The Darkness was brewin'… the Worlds really needed some help, and I knew I wasn't gonna be enough to help them. But I heard from Yen Sid that a boy named Sora could wield a Keyblade-"

Aqua nodded. "I passed the power to him," she explained. "I had a feeling that he would be strong enough. Glad to see my judgment proved correct."

"I sent Donald and Goofy to go find him," Mickey continued. "Except…" He frowned. "They reported back to me, saying that they never found him…"

"What?" Aqua asked, shocked. "What do you mean?"

Mickey shrugged, and took a bite of his ice cream. "I don't know, but the Worlds did sort themselves out." He laughed, then. "Maybe nothin' happened at all. Joseph did say he had seen Sora, didn't he?"

Aqua nodded.

"Right, so that means there's four Keyblade Wielders-"

"Five," Aqua corrected, automatically. "Terra's out there somewhere."

"I- I don't know if Sora's in much condition to help out, you guys," Ven whispered.

Aqua turned to him. "What do you mean?"

He looked up then, his eyes fierce. "Seven years ago, my heart was in bad shape," he explained, very simple about it. "And while in that bad state, I found my way to Sora. He offered to let me stay with him, in his heart, until my heart healed."

Aqua smiled. That sounded like the boy she had met seven years ago.

"But… something happened to him…" Ven continued, his voice shaking slightly. "And then- then there was… so much darkness. So much- raging inside of him- it was crushing everything, choking all the light-" He shuddered all over. Aqua reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"Do ya have any idea what happened to him?" Mickey asked.

"I- I remember something about him wanting to see other worlds-" Ven muttered. "And- and he was jealous of- of someone-" He clutched his head, face contorting in pain. "I don't remember-"

"Ven, it's alright," Aqua said, quietly. "We aren't asking you to remember. Just tell us what you can, okay?"

Ven nodded. "There was- there was someone else there, too…" he whispered. He was shaking. "I can't remember his name- but he- he was so-" He paused, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to concentrate. "I couldn't bear being near him, he was so… so-"

His eyes flew open, and then he stumbled back, as if struck. His knees gave way beneath him, and he fell to the ground.

"Ven!" Aqua gasped, dropping to her knees beside him. He was holding his head in his hands and his entire body was shaking.

"That laugh…" he whispered. "Those eyes…"

He shuddered.

"Vanitas!"

Aqua's eyes narrowed slightly. But she didn't allow her anger to rise up concerning the subject. Instead, anticipating Ven's reaction, she grabbed his hand and held it tightly, preventing him from summoning his blade. Then, not hesitating a second, she wrapped an arm around him, holding him protectively to her.

"It's alright," she told him, doing her best to keep her voice as even as possible. "He's gone, remember? You beat him."

For a second she could feel Ven's heart pounding frantically. She swallowed.

"You beat him," she repeated. "He's gone now and he's not coming back. He's not going to hurt you. It's alright."

"Is he okay?" Mickey asked.

Aqua nodded, slowly. "He's been having nightmares a lot recently," she explained, throwing a glance over at Mickey. "Or he'll have moments like this, the moment Va-" she paused, and then made a face. She didn't want to say the name.

Mickey nodded, showing he understood who she was talking about.

"Any time he's mentioned," Aqua continued. "And sometimes when it's just the darkness in general…" She trailed off.

"I wonder if Sora has anythin' to do with this…" Mickey muttered. "I'm gettin' the feelin' that Sora's strugglin' with the darkness. And maybe that's botherin' Ven…"

"Do you think we should go help Sora?" Aqua asked.

"I think we should at least check on him," Mickey said. "Make sure that he's doin' okay. Interferin' with him and his darkness could be a bad idea." He paused a second, glancing at his ice cream. It had melted almost completely. He finished what little was left in one bite.

The left over stick had the word WINNER on it.

He went ahead and pocketed the stick.

"I'll check on him," Mickey said. He nodded in determination, and then paused. "Well, I have an errand I need to run first, but then I can go check on him."

"I can do it, Your Majesty," Aqua said. "You've got more important things to be doing."

"Aw, that's alright Aqua," Mickey laughed. "I don't mind. And you've still gotta find Terra! Besides…" He cast a worried glance at Ven.

Aqua slowly nodded, knowing what he was getting at. Taking Ven around Sora and his darkness might not turn out well.

Sora and his darkness…

She sighed.

"Somethin' wrong?" Mickey asked.

"Sora was… so full of light…" she whispered. "I just- I can't imagine anything happening to him to make him fall into darkness. And, thinking about it, the fact that something _did_ happen is kind of…"

"Sad," Mickey finished.

She nodded.

"Definitely sad."

_And… it makes me think of Terra, too…_ she thought slowly.

_I never expected anything to happen to him, either… But he was dragged into darkness, just like Sora apparently was-_

"The darkness is cruel sometimes," she muttered, a tad bitter about it.

Mickey didn't say anything right away.

Then, he said: "I gotta get goin'. I'll see ya guys later!"

"Goodbye, Your Majesty," Aqua said, nodding.

"Bye…" Ven mumbled.

Mickey pulled a star shard out of his pocket and activated it.

He was gone.

"I'm alright now, Aqua," Ven whispered. "This time it wasn't too bad. It was just… a bit of a shock, that's all. I forgot about- I-" he trailed off, shaking his head.

Despite the fact that she was incredibly curious, Aqua forced herself not to ask. She let go of Ven and rose to her feet, helping him up as she did so. He quickly brushed himself off and grinned at her.

"Hey! I'll race you to the next world!" he laughed.

She laughed, too.

"You don't even know where we're going next!" she told him.

"Don't care!" he replied, activating his armor and hopping on his Keyblade Glider. "I bet I can still beat you there!"

Aqua didn't have a chance to reply before he flew off. She rolled her eyes and then activated her own armor and got on her own Keyblade Glider. She quickly followed after him.


	7. AU HB

... there is MOST LIKELY going to be a blog post about this, just to let you know.

this was written on the basis of "what if our timing was really messed up and Riku ended up heading back to Hollow Bastion while magik's characters were still there?"  
>(Aka during ch39-42 of Can't Escape since ch78 of Dead Inside happens like right before it or... timing was initially really tight for this day. We assumed ch78 of Dead Inside would happen <em>after <em>but then I did the math and it turned out it would happen before and it could work provided Riku and Namine left HB when they did.)

NONE OF THIS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO MY CANON! NONE OF THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENS! this was written purely for fun as ONLY a "what if...?" scenario. This, as I already said, DOESN'T ACTUALLY TAKE PLACE! am I clear? I mean... the scene IS labled "AU HB" after all. So we're good? You understand that this DOESN'T HAPPEN, right?

good.

you can enjoy the scene now

* * *

><p>"Sorry we're back again," Riku said, emerging from the dark corridor. "I sorta have a-" He stopped rather suddenly, eyes widening in shock.<p>

Sitting at the table was someone who he thought he'd never see again.

_Her._

_Namine_.

_From my past…_ he thought, slowly.

_The Namine I-_

He didn't want to finish that thought.

He glanced over at Namine, then back at the other Namine. His brain hardly registered the fact that Kairi and Xion were sitting next to her. His brain _did_ register, however, the fact that she looked much older than when he had last seen her.

And-

She looked a lot different, actually…

Namine raised her eyebrows, regarding the other Namine with a curious expression. "Well this is weird…" she muttered.

The other Namine laughed. "I'm from a parallel universe," she explained. "It's complicated."

"No, I get it," Namine assured her. "It's just _weird,_ that's all."

Someone said something in response to that, though Riku found it hard to care _who._

His attention was only on _her._

_She's not as… scared… _he thought after a moment.

Then he swallowed.

A million different emotions flooded through him, then. For starters, he was glad that she wasn't scared- he never had liked seeing her scared. He was also very confused, though, as to why in the Worlds she was _here_, and why she looked so different; not too much time could've passed, could have it?

How much time _had_ passed?

_Does she even still remember me?_ he found himself thinking.

_Does she even care?_

_ Does she remember ANYTHING I said to her?_

His heart was pounding madly in his chest, and fear was starting to flood through him. Fear of finding an answer. Fear of being here, being anywhere near her, because of what might slip from his mouth-

Because he couldn't control what he said around her.

He never had been able to.

And… what if he said something wrong?

What would Namine, _his_ Namine, think? Would she be mad at him? Would she understand? Would she-

_I can't do this!_ he realized. _I- I can't handle being around-_

He swallowed, and then, very, _very _slowly, he made his way towards the still open dark corridor. No one seemed to even notice. They were all still talking. He was very grateful for that. He didn't want to be-

"You're being quiet," Namine said, turning to him. "Hey!" she gasped, noticing what he was doing. "What are you _doing!_"

-stopped.

Everyone else turned to him.

Aerith looked genuinely worried (though, his hand _was_ bleeding). Cid poked his head out from the kitchen, looking as if he was only wondering what all this was about. Leon simply sat there, regarding him with an expression that he couldn't read. Yuffie was pointedly looking the other way. Xion looked at him with pure confusion. Kairi cocked her head to one side, her face impassive outside of the tiny inquisitive gesture.

Namine (the other Namine) looked at him like she always had.

With that look of care and kindness, yet with grief behind it-

The look that broke his heart.

"I don't want to be here," he said, voice extremely quiet and shaking slightly.

Namine (his Namine) raised her eyebrows.

"Why?" she asked him, almost as if she didn't believe he was going to have a good explanation. She hadn't followed his thought process like he had hoped she would have.

But, then again, why would have she?

"I don't want to be here," he repeated, slightly frantic, now. "I- I can't- I'm- I'm not going to do this!"

And, again, he headed for the dark corridor.

"Riku! Stop!" Namine commanded. He did so, but reluctantly. She glared at him a moment, almost as if she were silently wishing him to _not move. _

He grimaced, but stay put.

She sighed, satisfied, and turned back to everyone else. "I assure you," she laughed. "He's not _usually_ like this! Though… there is the argument that the pain's gone to his-"

"He's trying to leave again," Leon interrupted.

Riku silently cursed himself for being caught.

"Riku!" Namine exclaimed, sounding positively shocked. "_Seriously?_ Have you _forgotten _why we were even here in the first place? I mean, doesn't your hand _hurt?_"

_My hand…?_ he thought, confused. Then he glanced down at it.

_Oh, right… I had nearly forgotten…_

Because, compared to the aching of his heart, his hand hardly hurt at all.

"We were going to ask Aerith if she could do anything about it, remember?" Namine continued. "You can't just-"

"I don't care," he whispered tensely, almost desperate now. The pain in his chest was becoming unbearable. He was certain that if he stayed here any longer, something was going to go terribly wrong. "I don't want to be here."

"Riku-"

"I don't want to be here!"

And, hardly caring anymore about what she thought, he made for the dark corridor. He was determined to make it through, this time, no matter who said what to stop him-

"Riku!" Namine grabbed him by the shoulders.

He froze.

How could he have ignored her?

She spun him around to face her. She frowned, seeing now just how frantic he was. He was shaking slightly, and something close to terror written on his face. He met her eyes, slowly, reluctantly-

She swallowed.

The slightest traces of tears were in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, gently.

His eyes darted over to the other Namine.

Namine made a face, confused. "What about-" she began.

She didn't finish. At that point, the other Namine rose to her feet.

"Hi," she said.

Riku winced, his body going completely tense.

"H-hi," he stuttered with much difficulty, as if it killed him to say it. He stared down at his feet, refusing to look at her; to look at anyone.

Namine frowned, worried. She threw a glance over at the other Namine, and then looked back to him. Her eyes slowly widened.

"Wait a minute," she said, a bit frantic herself, now. "You two _know _each other?"

They both nodded.

Slowly, Namine pulled her hands away from Riku, shocked. Given his panic about being around her, and the fact that they knew each other…

And… there was something in the back of her mind that was just about as panicked as Riku was…

She glanced over at the other Namine.

"So you're…" She paused; made a face. She didn't need to finish that sentence. "Oh," she said instead, a bit rough about it.

"Is something wrong?" the other Namine asked.

"What?" Namine gasped, and then laughed. "Oh, no! Nothing! Nothing's wrong."

This was, however, a complete lie.

Riku was close to tears, if not actually crying by this point.

Of course there was something wrong.

_I bet she's the one he mentioned back in the computer room, _Namine thought, slowly, doing her best not to frown at the thought. She wasn't going to be completely rude. If she could, she planned to not say anything about this at all.

It's not like anyone else really cared.

The other Namine certainly didn't seem to.

Anger flared up with that thought, followed by an insane amount of hurt. She gasped and clutched her chest.

_Is this what Riku feels?_ she thought, grimacing. _If so… I feel so sorry for him…_

A surprisingly bitter thought followed that one:

_I bet SHE doesn't-_

"I'm sorry," the other Namine said.

Namine turned to her, a tad shocked. She did her best to hide that, though.

Riku didn't even bother to look up.

"Don't apologize," he whispered. "You don't need to."

_Of course she needs to!_ Namine thought, bitterly, and then quickly turned away, embarrassed.

_Goodness! Where are these thoughts coming from!_

"Here, Riku," Tifa said, getting to her feet. "Let me see what I can do about your hand."

Namine was silently thankful for the interruption. She could use a moment to try and get her anger in check.

Plus… she was starting to feel memories form at the back of her head…

Tifa took Riku's hand and began examining it. He didn't complain at all, though Namine had a feeling that he could hardly feel that pain anymore. In fact, she was pretty certain he couldn't, especially if what was raging through his heart was anywhere similar to what was raging through the back of her mind right now.

"Someone get me a chair," Tifa said after a moment. "And some bandages."

Xion quickly got out of her chair and pushed it over to Tifa. Tifa forced Riku to sit down, though it didn't look like it took her much effort. He seemed really out of it.

Like he had abandoned the panic and was now just ignoring the world.

Riku didn't even wince when Tifa put his bones back in their proper place and cast a Cure to keep them there.

Namine bit her lip. Her anger had faded by this point, but she was still extremely worried about him. She didn't like seeing him like this.

"Riku, what did you do to yourself?" Aerith laughed, as she handed Tifa a roll of bandages.

"Got stepped on," he replied, gruffly.

"By who?" Kairi asked.

He paled.

"L-" he began, but the word got caught in his throat. He closed his mouth and shook his head.

He was shaking.

The other Namine frowned, knowing the look on his face all too well.

"Riku," Namine said, slowly, sounding rather confused. "Why are you freaking out about _this?_ You were fine back in-" she stopped, suddenly, realizing something.

He hadn't been entirely fine about this back in Castle Oblivion.

"Oh my gosh…" she breathed. "You're not _actually_ scared of her, are you!"

"No!" he replied, quickly, anger in his voice. "I am _not_ scared of her! It's just-"

"It was Larxene, wasn't it?" the other Namine whispered.

He winced.

She sighed.

Namine made a face, anger surging through her again.

"It was _not_ Larxene," she said, a tad forceful. "It was just stupid L!"

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret asking this…" Xion muttered. "But who?"

"Larxene L," Namine explained. "The only Larxene Replica Riku hasn't managed to kill yet."

"Yeah, you can thank 37 for that," Riku added, bitterly.

Namine smiled slightly.

Though bitter, that thought had been in his typical humor.

Xion made a face. "Yup. Totally regret asking that."

* * *

><p>nope! there's no more! don't ask! This scene was mainly written just to focus on Riku's panic attack (which was a lot of fun to write, might I add!) If it continued any more, we'd be covering grounds that... erm... me and magik~ want to save for later. So...<p>

=P


	8. AU HB  Case of Tifa

what! ANOTHER upload! of the SAME scene! I MUST BE CRAAZYYY!

eh, why are you looking at me like that? I know I'm crazy. Don't give me that look!

anyway, so, I started the AU HB scene like this, so that it would more like an alternate version of what happened... but... I got stuck, and I realized I really didn't NEED to focus on this. I'm only uploading it because I felt bad that this didn't make it in, because Tifa's funny...

oh, and this is really just a working document. I kinda filled in the gaps for you guys, because I only had snippets of scenes...

* * *

><p>There was only one problem about disappearing so suddenly from Castle Oblivion. Riku had been sitting in a chair, and upon arriving in Hollow Bastion, there was suddenly no chair for him to be sitting in. He ended up landing rather roughly on his butt.<p>

"Ow!" he exclaimed.

Namine laughed. "That's what you get for corridoring away so suddenly!"

"No, no, I hit my hand!" he gasped, doubling over slightly from the pain. He bit his lip, trying to avoid crying out.

The smile fell from Namine's face and was soon replaced by concern. "You okay?" she asked, kneeling down next to him. He only nodded.

Someone cleared their throat behind them. They both turned (Riku with some difficulty) and were surprised to find not one of the normal Hollow Bastion residents, but Tifa. She smiled slightly at the sight of them.

"My name's Tifa," she said, offering a hand for them to shake. "You're Namine and Riku, aren't you?"

"That's us," Namine laughed, shaking her hand.

Riku only glanced up at her, a bit skeptical, but then nodded after a moment. He wasn't in much of a position to be shaking anyone's hand. Tifa looked as if she were going to say something about that; then she saw what condition Riku's hand was in. An expression between shock and understanding flashed across her face.

"Right," she sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Let's see how bad this is." She knelt down next to him and took his hand, examining it. Then, after a moment, she moved one of his fingers.

He winced.

"That hurt?" she asked.

"Yes…" he muttered.

"This hurt?" She moved another one of his fingers.

He grimaced, not finding much point in this. "Yes," he told her, tensely, and then gasped in pain as she moved another finger. He yanked his hand away from her. "Okay! It hurts! Why do you need to-"

"Can't heal something if I don't know what's broken!" she told him, a touch of humor in her voice.

He frowned.

"Can't Aerith-" he began.

"Heal it?" Tifa finished, and then smiled. "Sure, but, _I'm_ the expert on hands around here. Now what happened to you?"

"Got stepped on…"

She nodded, understanding. "I thought so."

~she leaves to go get bandages about here. Magik's charries (at least Namine, anyway) along with (possibly) the FF cast come see what's up.

"How do you think she knew who we were?" Riku muttered. "Do you think Aerith mentioned something?"

"Uh… actually, Riku," Namine said. "I think _that's_ why."

She nods over at Magik's Namine.

Cue Riku's panic attack.

He'd open another dark corridor and try to dart through that one, of course. Namine would yell at him for a bit, then _Tifa_ would walk in.

"Hey!" Tifa shouted.

Everyone turned.

She was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips, a rather annoyed expression on her face. "Just where do you think _you're_ going?" she asked. "I'm not done with your hand yet!"

"Well, yes, but- I- I don't want-" Riku began.

"If you want to have a panic attack, fine," Tifa told him, firmly, though she retained her humor as she said it. "But that can wait until I'm done bandaging your hand!"

~and… that's about all I got… Tifa would bandage his hand, ask what stepped on him, you'd cut to him freaking about Larxene and all that. *shrug*


	9. (Prequel) Childhood Memories

hey look! a post here!

remember what I said about needing to do some character development on Kairi? well... that included finishing a few of these scenes here... I had this set of scenes already written, though. It's the other few sets that aren't finished...

this is the first in an installment of... four? there'll definitely be four sets of scenes, possibly five. I haven't written all of them yet...

sorry for the brevity of the scenes and the odd cutoffs, but, keep in mind, Sora and Kairi are like... 4 and 5 here. Maybe 6 in the last one. These scenes are written as if someone were remembering them (which... they might end up in Dead Inside later. I don't THINK they will, but advanced apologies if they do) and I don't know ANYONE who remembers every little detail of something that happened when they were a kid (except kids themselves, of course)

* * *

><p>"Hey daddy," Sora said, tugging on his father's shirt. His father didn't respond right away. Sora frowned at that, and tugged his dad's shirt harder. "Daddyyyyy-" he cried.<p>

Finally, Sora's father turned to him. "Sorry, son," he laughed, kneeling down so he could look Sora in the eye. "What did you want?"

Sora grinned at his father. "I'm gonna go play with that girl!" he declared, pointing.

Sora's father followed his son's gaze and raised his eyebrows. The girl Sora was talking about was about his age, and had striking red hair. She was talking to her father, and held a few flowers in her hand. She wore a white dress with pink flowers on it, very simple.

Sora's father returned his attention to Sora. "Alright, be careful," he laughed, ruffling his son's hair. Sora protested, but soon ran off.

He stopped next to the girl, who had left her father and was now picking flowers. She didn't seem to notice him.

"Hi," he said after a moment, kneeling down next to her.

She glanced over at him. "Hi!" she replied. "I'm Kairi! Who are you?"

"My name's Sora!"

Kairi grinned at him, and then turned back to the flowers. She ran her hands through the flowers, as if not sure which one to pick next.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked after a moment.

"Trying to find the perfect flower," Kairi answered simply. Her hand finally stopped on a blue one, and her eyes lit up. She plucked it out of the ground and then arranged it in the mess of other flowers she was holding.

Sora watched her curiously, as if not sure what to make of her. He turned away for a second, studying the flowers, trying to make sense of them. After a moment, he looked back at her, and was surprised to find her grinning at him.

"Here!" she said, holding the flowers out to him. "They're for you!"

Sora frowned and carefully took the flowers, as if he might break them.

"Aren't they pretty?" Kairi asked.

Sora wrinkled his nose. "I think they smell funny," he told her, instead.

XXX

"This is the worst party ever," Sora muttered.

It was his birthday. All his friends had come: Tidus, Wakka, Kairi, and (after a bit of convincing from Kairi) Selphie. Though, currently, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie were playing with _his_ ball in _his_ backyard. Only Kairi had stayed inside with him.

"I still can't believe that Wakka only got me a ball so he could play with it," Sora continued, throwing his hands up in the air in his frustration. "I mean, what's the deal with that! It's stupid!"

"You don't want to play with them?" Kairi asked.

Sora shook his head. "They have this weird ball game that they play. It doesn't make any sense."

"You could always just ask for your ball back," Kairi pointed out.

Sora shook his head again. "Nah, I don't wanna sound mean."

"But it's _your_ ball."

Sora just shrugged.

Kairi laughed. "Hey, I've got an idea," she said, grabbing Sora's hand. "We could ask your mom if she can cut the cake early! And since they're too busy playing ball, we'll get extra!"

Sora laughed at that, and allowed Kairi to drag him off.

XXX

"Soorraaa! What are you doing?" Kairi whined, as Sora prodded her with his wooden sword again.

"I'm a pirate!" Sora declared, pointing at the pirate hat on his head. He then pointed to Kairi. "And you're my captive!" he laughed, and prodded her with the sword again.

She frowned and turned to him. "You don't _sound_ like a pirate," she told him plainly.

Sora made a face, and then said: "Arg! Get in me ship!" He poked her again with the sword.

Kairi laughed and then shoved the sword back towards Sora. "No! Stupid pirate!" she shouted. "Leave me alone!"

Sora grinned and then laughed a very pirate-y laugh. "Yer coming with me whether you like it or not, missy!" he said, grabbing her by the wrist.

He dragged her over to the shore, despite her attempts to get away from him. They were very feeble attempts, obviously, as they were only playing.

"Are we ready to set sail, Captain?" Sora's father called from the boat, as Sora dragged Kairi over.

"Aye, matey!" Sora declared as he hopped into the boat. He paused and then helped Kairi get in the boat before saying: "Let's leave port and head to that island over there!" He pointed off to the distance, where the smaller island was.

Sora's father saluted. "Aye-aye. Cap'n!" he laughed, and then started rowing the boat.

"Shouldn't you be giving more orders?" Kairi asked after a moment, glancing at Sora. "Captains usually give a lot of orders, don't they?"

Sora made a face. "Well… yeah… but they use lots of big words," he explained, and then grinned like he was all proud of himself. "Me and my dad watched a pirate movie last night, so I know what I'm doing!" He turned out to see, making a telescope with his hands and pretending to search the horizon.

"Do you see anything, Captain?" Sora's father asked.

"Not a single enemy ship in sight!" Sora replied. "But even if there were, it wouldn't matter. _I've_ got a captive!"

Kairi pouted.

Sora's father laughed.


	10. (BBS) Mysterious Adventurer

Second installment of this little... thing... not sure ENTIRELY what to call it. Backstory? That's what it ended up being...

it's from Aqua's POV, a tad obviously, I'm not sure why, but apparently I-

oh wait, it's because some of her thoughts were important I couldn't leave them out. Right. Everything in italics are her thoughts. I didn't entirely specify that they were, but I was hoping to achieve that feel of BBS where she talks to herself. Because if you watch the scene with her on Destiny Islands, she talks to herself. Terra does it too. It's weird.

anyway, this would happen, oh, 'bout the same time in BBS that it would've normally. Towards the end. Aqua's been yelled at a couple times, and is apparently is going to be very... upset about it. I don't know, I was having issues writing for her because she was freaking out... it was weird...

I'm going to stop rambling. If you have any questions, just ask.

oh, and I'll be posting something in Dead Inside soon. I swear.

OHWAITAMINUTE! can't believe I nearly forgot! There's this little... quirk about how Sora says "adventurer" he adds an extra "er" at the end of it so it sounds like "adventurerer" I was going to write it like that, but he says it so many times... and the little squiggly lines would've driven me nuts... so... =P

* * *

><p>"Terra, please…" Aqua whispered, clutching her Wayfinder tightly to her chest. "<em>Please<em> be safe…"

An island breeze blew past her, but she hardly felt it. The sun shone high above her head, but she hardly noticed. Waves beat constantly against the shore, gently, but their sound didn't even reach her ears.

Her mind was… elsewhere.

_It can't be too late… _she thought, desperately.

_The darkness hasn't won this yet…_

_ I know he's still fighting…_

_ …he has to be…_

"I'll be right back, Kairi! Just give me a- oof!"

Aqua glanced down in shock. A young boy, who obviously hadn't been paying attention to where he was going, just ran into her. He was probably about seven or so, his hair brown and almost ridiculously spiky. When he turned around to face her, she noticed that he had big blue eyes that were strikingly familiar.

"Whoops! Sorry about that!" the boy said, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not used to having people in my way."

Aqua couldn't help but laugh slightly.

_He's just like Ven…_

"It's alright," she assured him, pocketing her Wayfinder. She sighed. Her heart still felt ridiculously heavy, even if this boy had lifted her spirits slightly. "I should be going, anyway."

_I've… been here long enough…_

"Go where?" the boy asked, and then gasped in sudden excitement. "Are you on an adventure!"

Aqua raised her eyebrows.

"Adventure?" she repeated slowly, and then smiled.

Oh childlike innocence.

"Yeah, I suppose I am."

"That is so cool!" the boy exclaimed, practically jumping down with excitement now. "I can't believe I'm talking to a real live adventurer!" He pulled a toy sword out of his belt and swung it around a time or two before grinning up at her. "I want to be an adventurer someday, too!"

She smiled back at him, though she had to work to keep the smile on her face. The playful spirit and hopeful excitement of this boy reminded her all too well of happier, brighter times with Ven and Terra. Times when they still got along. Times before everything went wrong…

Times that she wasn't going to get back…

The boy frowned suddenly, regarding her with confusion.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

She quickly reached up and wiped away the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.

"I- I'm fine," she said, voice quiet. "I'm just thinking about my friends…."

"Then why do you look so sad? You shouldn't be sad when you think about your friends! Your friends should make you happy!"

She turned away.

_So why is it that when I think of him, my heart feels even heavier?_

She took a deep breath, and then forced the smile back onto her face. She didn't need to worry some young boy with all her troubles. She turned back to him and knelt down slightly so she could look him in the eye.

"Listen, I'd love to talk to you," she said. "But I really need to get going, okay?" She took a few step away from him, and turned to leave.

"Wait!" the boy called, grabbing her by the wrist.

_Light._

She turned back to him shock. He was staring up at her, eyes filled with concern and compassion.

_He's so bright. How did I not notice before now?_

_I wonder… _

_Could he be…?_

"What's your name?" she asked.

He frowned, as if he didn't quite understand her change of pace.

"Sora," he replied, slowly, letting go of her hand.

She smiled and knelt down to his level again. "So, Sora, you said you wanted to be an adventurer, hmm?"

He nodded, the excited grin returning to his face. "Yeah! I want to be an adventurer more than anything! I wanna explore, and see different places, and- and I wanna kill monsters, too!"

Aqua laughed.

"What kind of monsters?"

"Big scary ones!" Sora declared, and then thrust his toy sword forward, as if he were driving it through the heart of an invisible monster. "Then I could protect everyone I cared about!"

"Maybe I can help you out," Aqua said, and then summoned her Keyblade.

Sora's eyes went wide in shock.

"Whooaa! How'd you do that! That is so cool! It's like magic!"

Aqua laughed again held the hilt of the blade out to him.

"In your hand take this key," she began. "And so long as you-"

"Sooorrraaaaa!" someone, a girl from the sounds of it, called. She sounded rather annoyed. And, sure enough, a girl with fiery red hair and blue eyes came storming over.

"What is taking you so long!" she demanded.

"Kairi!" Sora whined. "I'm in the middle of something!"

The girl, who Aqua assumed was Kairi, frowned and folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot impatiently.

"You _said_ you'd be right back!"

Sora grimaced and scratched his head.

"Well, I… I ran into, uhh…" He glanced over at Aqua, frowning slightly.

Aqua raised her eyebrows in confusion, and then realized that she hadn't bothered to introduce herself. She laughed nervously. "Oh, sorry! My name's Aqua."

"She's a real live adventurer!" Sora exclaimed, jumping up and down slightly in excitement again.

Kairi uncrossed her arms, eyes widening with curiosity.

"Really?"

Sora nodded.

"Yeah, and she was about to do something when you showed up and ruined it!"

Aqua laughed.

"It's alright Sora, she didn't ruin anything."

He breathed a visible sigh of relief.

Aqua only smiled and shook her head. She turned to Kairi. Kairi was regarding her with an odd expression, as if she wasn't entirely sure what to think.

"So, Kairi," Aqua said. "Sora told me that he wanted to be an adventurer, and that he wanted to be able to fight monsters. And… you two look like you're good friends-"

"Best friends!" Sora interrupted. "We're _best_ friends, aren't we Kairi?"

He turned to her, and she nodded.

Aqua's smile widened.

"Since you're _best_ friends," she continued. "I'd assume that if Sora went on an adventure, you'd want to go with him, right?"

Kairi nodded enthusiastically.

"I'd love to go with him! But… I'd let him take care of the monsters."

It took Aqua a lot of effort to _not_ laugh at that.

"So, if I were to give Sora the chance to go on adventures someday and fight monsters like he wants, you wouldn't be too upset, would you?"

Kairi shook her head.

_That's good…_

_Sora has the potential to be a powerful Keyblade Wielder. I wouldn't want to deny him the chance to become one because I can't pass the power to both him and Kairi. _

_But… Kairi doesn't seem interested at all…_

_However…_

"Sora, you have to _promise_ me, that if you do go on an adventure, you take Kairi with you, got it?"

Sora nodded.

"Of course!"

Aqua smiled and held her Keyblade out to him again.

"Then in your hand take this key," she said. "And so long as you have the makings, then by this simple act of taking, it's wielder you shall someday be. But there's no need to fear, my friend. No power could withstand you then-"

His eyes lit up slightly at the mention of that.

"No power of darkness, no power of light," Aqua continued, though Sora's excitement over the promise of power didn't go unnoticed. She swallowed, and then finished: "So long as you keep your friends in sight."

Sora stared at her for a second, then reached out and closed his hand around the hilt of her blade. They stood there in silence for a moment, and then he grimaced.

"I'm not sure if that worked…" he said, slowly.

Aqua laughed.

"I'm pretty sure it worked," she assured him.

"Oh," he muttered, and then let go of the blade. Aqua banished it and reached out and ruffled his hair.

"Can you two do me a favor?" she asked, glancing over at Kairi and then back at Sora. They both nodded enthusiastically. "Keep this a secret, okay?"

Kairi made a face.

"Why?"

"Cause all the magic'll wear off if we tell, huh?" Sora replied, though it was half a question.

Aqua smiled and rose to her feet. "Something like that," she said.

"Then we better get going!" Sora exclaimed. "People might start getting _suspicious_!" He turned and started off, but not before swiping his toy sword through an invisible monster. He started running again, but stopped and flashed a grin back at Aqua. "Hey! Maybe I'll run into you in one of my adventures!"

"Maybe," Aqua laughed.

His grin widened and he started running again.

Kairi started after him.

Aqua watched them go with a sigh.

_They should be alright._

_But…_

There was something in her that was uncertain.

Something that felt like maybe things wouldn't turn out like she hoped.

Again.

"Hey wait, Kairi!" she called.

Kairi stopped and turned back to her. "Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Kairi nodded and started over. Sora made to follow her, but she stopped him. He made a face, like he were protesting. She rolled her eyes told him something, Aqua didn't quite hear what, but Sora immediately lost interest.

"What did you want?" Kairi asked, running over to Aqua.

Aqua didn't respond right away; she was watching as Sora started fighting invisible monsters again. She sighed.

_He's such a bright boy…_

_I would hate for anything to happen to him…_

"Don't worry," Kairi giggled, misreading Aqua's uncertainty. "I told him we were gonna talk about stupid girl stuff." She paused. "This _isn't_ about stupid girl stuff, is it?"

Aqua laughed.

Kids.

"No," she assured Kairi. "This is about something else."

Kairi breathed a sigh of relief.

Aqua slowly knelt down so she could look Kairi in the eye.

"Listen, Kairi, I hate to ask another favor of you," she said. "But I want you to look after Sora."

Kairi burst out laughing.

"_Me!_ Look after _Sora!_" she managed to gasp through her laughter. "You're _funny!_"

"Kairi, I mean it," Aqua said firmly.

Kairi stopped laughing.

Aqua sighed and turned to Sora again.

"I want you to look after him," she repeated. "I- I don't think anything's going to happen to him, but…" she trailed off.

_Not long ago, I didn't think anything was going to happen to Terra, either…_

Kairi turned to Sora, too, and they watched as he tossed a rock into the air and tried to hit it with his sword. He missed. The rock hit him in the head.

Kairi laughed.

"But he might do something stupid," she finished.

Aqua smiled.

That was one way to put it.

"And if he does," she said. "Make sure you're with him so you can knock some sense into him, okay?"

Kairi giggled.

"Okay!" she exclaimed, breaking out into a grin. "I can do that!"

And before Aqua could say anymore, she was running towards Sora, only shouting a quick "Bye!" over her shoulder and waving. Aqua waved back, though she was sure that Kairi didn't actually see it.

She sighed.

_Maybe…_

_Maybe she'll be able to do what I couldn't, and be able to keep him from going astray…_

She pulled her Wayfinder out of her pocket and clutched it tightly.

"Terra… please… don't let it be too late…"


	11. (Prequel) A Knight

I can't think of anything to say about this... sorry...

* * *

><p>Sora flopped down into the sand, breathing heavily. "I'm exhausted!" he moaned. "Tidus beat me for the tenth time this morning! I just- I can't beat him!"<p>

"I don't get why you guys do this," Kairi said, glancing down at Sora as he flopped down onto his back.

"Do what?" he asked, putting his hands behind his head.

"Beat each other up with toy swords," she answered.

"'Cause it's fun!" Sora laughed.

Kairi merely shrugged. "_I_ think it's kinda stupid," she muttered.

He sat up slightly so he could get a better look at her. "Really?" he asked, bewildered. She nodded. He made a face. "But- but even Selphie fights-" he stuttered.

"Well, _I'm_ not Selphie," Kairi told him firmly. "And _I_ don't like fighting. I mean, seriously, what's the point of it?"

"To fight off the monsters," Sora replied matter-of-factly.

Kairi laughed. "What monsters?"

"You know, _the_ monsters!" Sora exclaimed, as if it was obvious. However, when Kairi didn't show any signs of understanding, he sighed and flopped back down onto his back. "Never mind…"

"Exactly. Stupid," Kairi muttered.

Sora was silent for a moment, thinking about something. "If you didn't think it was stupid," he said after a moment. "I could teach you how to fight." He sighed exaggeratedly. "But… since you think it's stupid-"

"It is!"

"Fine then," Sora laughed. "When the monsters come, and you can't fight them off, I'm going to laugh."

Kairi raised her eyebrows. "Would you really?"

He was quiet for a bit, as if thinking about it. Finally, he shook his head. "Nah, I wouldn't," he told her. "You know what I _would _do_?_"

"Hmm?"

"I'd make sure you stayed safe," he whispered, and then grinned up at her. "Since you don't want to learn how to fight and all."

She blushed slightly. "Thank you, Sora."

He shrugged. "Sure thing," he replied. "It's kinda cool, anyway. It's like _you're_ the princess who shouldn't be fighting 'cause, well, she's the _princess_. And then I'm the knight who protects you." He was silent for a moment, and then sighed wistfully. "I've always wanted to be a knight."

Kairi glanced over at him. He wasn't looking at her, but at the sky. His eyes weren't entirely focused, like he was deep in thought. She smiled slightly, and then reached for Sora's toy sword. Sora didn't even notice. He did notice, however, when Kairi rose to her feet and dragged him with her.

"Kneel," she commanded, gesturing with the sword.

He stared at her for a moment, but then slowly knelt down.

"As Princess of this Island," Kairi said, trying to make her voice sound as princess-y as she possibly could. "I hereby knight thee-" She tapped Sora first on one shoulder with the toy sword, and then tapped him on the other. "Sir Sora!"

Sora looked up at her in shock. Then he broke out into a grin and hopped to his feet.

"Kairi!" he said, practically laughing in his excitement. "Thank you!"

Before she could respond, he had pulled her into a hug. She laughed, and then hugged him back.

"No need to thank me, Sora," she said, resting her head against his chest. "It's not like that was even real. Besides, I'm sure you'd be a wonderful knight."

"You think so?" he asked, pulling away slightly so he could look down at her.

She smiled.

"Of course, silly."

XXX

"Sir Joseph, stand down!"

Sora (who was playing the part of Sir Joseph) turned to her, exasperated, but did not lower his sword. "Princess Janine," he said, trying to sound reasonable. "This man is a thief and a menace to the kingdom, we can't-"

"I think he deserves a second chance," Kairi (who was playing the part of Princess Janine) interrupted, placing her hands on her hips.

Sora turned back to Tidus (who was playing the part of the theif: Tobias) and grimaced, but then lowered his sword.

"We'll take him to my father," Kairi said. "He'll know what to-"

A phone rang. Everyone turned to the director, who was fumbling to answer his ringing phone. He motioned for them to keep going.

"What to do with him," Kairi continued, a bit shakily, not recovering well from the interruption.

"Thank you, Princess," Tidus said. "I-"

"Hold up kids!" the director called, stopping him. "I'm sorry, you guys were doing great and I hate to stop you, but I've got a family emergency that just came up and I have to cut practice short! Sorry."

Almost everyone spoke up to tell him that it was fine.

"Thanks for understanding!" the director said, heading for the door. "See you guys tomorrow!"

Sora sighed, stretched, and then went backstage to put his sword away. Selphie was back there, chatting away with another stagehand about the original version of the story. Apparently, the play adaption was much different, and Selphie wasn't too happy about it.

"You were great today… sir Sora," Kairi said.

Sora smiled and turned to her. "It's fitting, isn't it? You're the princess, and I'm the knight."

She laughed.

He grinned.

"I'm so glad you managed to get the part," he said, placing his sword in its place. "I was afraid you weren't going to get it."

Kairi slowly frowned.

"Did you think I wasn't good enough or something?"

Sora paused and turned back to her. He started to say something, and then stopped and grimaced. "Well…" he said, slowly. "You didn't seem very sure about your lines when you practiced your audition with me…"

Kairi's frown quickly became a scowl.

"You don't think I'm good enough for the part!" she accused.

Sora started to form a reply, but didn't get the chance.

"Yeah, in the original version, Sir Joseph and Princess Janine kissed," Selphie said, and then sighed wistfully. "It was sooo romantic!"

Both Sora and Kairi turned to her in shock.

"What!" they exclaimed, almost simultaneously.

Selphie glanced over at them. "Hmm? You didn't know?" She frowned in confusion. "I thought you said you knew this story, Sora!"

"I said I'd seen the play before, that's all," Sora replied.

"Oh!" Selphie laughed. "That makes _much_ more sense! The play isn't like the original story at all! No wonder you're confused!" She shook her head. "I still think the original version is much better."

Sora made a face.

"I like the play version," he muttered.

Tidus (who had just joined the conversation) snorted. "I bet he's only saying that because he doesn't want to have to kiss Kairi!"

"Hey!" Sora protested. "I didn't say that!"

"No, but you were _thinking _it!"

"Was not!"

"I bet you thought it would be _gross_, too!"

Sora's face was red with embarrassment by this point. He glared at Tidus, then threw a glance at Kairi, then glared at Tidus again. Kairi folded her arms over her chest and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes in annoyance.

"Sora," she said. "If you really did have to kiss me, would you do it?"

He made a face.

"Well… I- I don't know…"

Her eyes widened with something between shock and anger.

"You don't like me!"

Sora scowled in confusion, not quite sure how he had gotten himself into this mess.

"What!" he exclaimed. "No, I- Kairi!"

She pointedly turned away from him. He stared at her for a moment, and then grimaced. What was he supposed to do now?

After a moment he grabbed her by the shoulder.

"I- of course I like you, Kairi," he said. "But you're my best friend! I couldn't kiss you! It'd be too weird!"

Slowly, she turned to him, and then smiled.

"Yeah," she agreed. "It would be weird…"


	12. (scraps) Riku vs Shadow

erm... I felt like posting something. I figured I'd post this.

please note, some of this isn't entirely accurate anymore. I wrote this_ mainly_ as character development like, forever ago, so there are a few parts that completely contradict my canon. *shrug* It's not really worth fixing, because it would take away from the scene as a whole. You can deal with a few contradictions.

(oh, and that last line Shad says doesn't really apply anymore. Like I said, I wrote this forever ago. I've figured out different stuff since then.)

* * *

><p>"Are you okay?" Riku asked, watching Sora with worry. Sora shook his head.<p>

"I can't… hold on much longer…" he gasped. "My control's slipping… Shadow's… too strong."

Riku stared at Sora, confused. Sora looked absolutely terrified.

"Shadow…?" he whispered.

"Help me!" Sora shouted, turning to Riku with frantic eyes. "Please, you just have to… destroy him!"

Sora's voice changed slightly as he said that last statement, growing slightly more cocky and amused. Riku's mind immediately jumped to Ansem, wondering if he had returned.

But that didn't seem to be the case. In a flash of darkness, Sora's form changed. Riku glared, still expecting Ansem to show up, but gasped in shock once he could clearly see who had taken Sora's place.

This person looked exactly like Sora.

The only difference; their hair was jet black, and they wore the form of Sora's dark mode.

"Shadow…" Riku muttered, starting to get it. "Sora's shadow…"

The Shadow laughed, looking up, staring at Riku with his sharp gold eyes. His eyes danced with amusement. A smirk was plastered onto his face, and he laughed.

"So _you're_ Riku!" the Shadow said. "Nice to actually meet you, instead of just relying on Sora's memories for information. Not easy to do, might I add."

Though he sounded annoyed, his eyes were filled with laughter.

"Who-" Riku began, and then paused; that wasn't the right term. "_What_ are you?"

The Shadow laughed again. "I thought it was obvious! I am Sora's Shadow. I am what Sora _could_ be, if he'd just give into the darkness. He won't though, he's fighting me even as we speak." The Shadow frowned at that. "Damn he's strong…" he muttered, and then looked back up at Riku.

"So, Riku, I can tell you're a smart one," the Shadow continued. "So tell me, what is it that-" the Shadow paused suddenly, his left hand clenching and unclenching a couple of times, as if trying to grab onto something that wasn't there. He frowned in confusion. "What the hell…?" he muttered, glancing down at his empty hand. "Where'd my-" he stopped, and then glanced at his right hand, in which he held Sora's Keyblade. "That would explain it," he laughed.

He cocked his head to the side after a moment, and then held Sora's Keyblade up, watching as cracks slowly spread down the length of the blade. "Now _that's_ interesting," he muttered, watching for another second. He then shrugged, and tossed Sora's Keyblade casually over his shoulder. As soon as the Keyblade hit the ground, it vanished in sparks of light. The Shadow shuddered.

"Light," he spat, loathingly. He summoned his own Keyblade, which appeared in a puff of dark energy. "The darkness is much more preferable." A string of darkness snaked out from the Keyblade, and slowly changed into chains, which fell into the Shadow's open hand. He immediately began to twirl them casually.

"Wouldn't you say so, Riku?" the Shadow asked playfully.

Riku, who had been examining the Shadow's blade, turned to look him in the eye. "No," he replied curtly.

"No!" the Shadow laughed, seeming surprised. "But I've seen you in Sora's memories; wielding the power of the darkness as if it were nothing!"

Riku laughed this time. "Sora's memories must be hard to gather information from, then," he said. "You should know that I didn't _choose_ the darkness. I was created this way."

The Shadow paused, staring off to the side as if trying to recall something. "That's right…" he muttered. "You're a… Replica, aren't you?" He turned back to Riku as he said that, eyes again dancing with amusement. "Doesn't it hurt though, being a _fake?_"

Riku shrugged. "Why would it?"

The Shadow stared intently at Riku's face, as if trying to decipher something. "Toy?" he asked.

Riku winced.

The Shadow grinned. "I got a response from that one!" he laughed, and then did the same thing again, concentrating hard on Riku's face. His eyes widened in excitement. "You're afraid of lightning!" he exclaimed with a laugh. He charged up the end of his chain with dark lightning, and then lashed the chain out at Riku. Riku immediately jumped aside.

The Shadow watched him intently. And though no one else would have caught it, there was a split second of terror on Riku's face. He burst out laughing.

"How did you know about that?" Riku asked, glaring at the Shadow.

The Shadow only continued to laugh. "The Darkness knows all fears," he replied simply. "And you, my friend, have the _darkest_ of pasts." The Shadow pulled his chains back to him, and began twirling them again. "Now… what else is there to taunt you about…" he muttered to himself, again staring off to the side as if to remember something.

His eyes lit up, and he turned back to Riku. "Namine," he said simply.

Riku made no movement, just continued glaring at the Shadow.

"Who is she?" the Shadow asked. He glanced off to the side again, but frowned. "Sadly, I split myself from Sora before I bothered to learn much about her. That was poor planning on my part, though I never did actually plan on running into you." He shrugged, and turned to Riku again. After a moment of examining Riku's face intently, he frowned.

"How strange… your past… the darkness thrives within it, and yet there are no thoughts attached," the Shadow muttered. "It's like your mind is completely _blank_. But… oh!" The Shadow grinned. "Here's something! Memory meltdowns."

Riku's glare wavered, though he did his best to remain calm. He was sure the Shadow had noticed though.

"You're scared to death by them," the Shadow continued, eyes dancing with amusement yet again. "Just because you can't stand watching her, and watching how much she hurts. Because there's nothing you can-"

"Shut up!" Riku shouted, unable to hold it any longer. He pulled his blade. "I'm sick of your word games!"

The Shadow just continued to grin. "Aww, is Riku too old to play games?" he teased, and then laughed. "Well, Sora _did_ tell you to destroy me. Though…" he paused, thinking about something. "You could argue it was me who told you to destroy him. Which order will you listen to, I wonder?"

"What do you think?" Riku sneered. "I'm going to destroy you!"

The Shadow just laughed. "It doesn't matter if you destroy me! I'm pure darkness! I'll just come back in another form!" He paused. "Though, I have to say, I _do_ really like this form. I'm going to miss it when it eventually fades. Damn, I hope it doesn't fade soon. This form is just so much _fun_! I've never felt so… _alive_! I mean, I've taken forms of heartless, and other monsters. But never have I been something relatively human. I just _love_ it."

In the time the Shadow had been ranting, Riku had gone into dark mode. Now, he shot Dark Firaga at the Shadow.

"Whoa nelly!" the Shadow gasped, stepping aside to let the Dark Firaga wiz past him. "I didn't see that one coming." However, he sounded completely sarcastic as he said it. He rushed forward, striking with his blade, and Riku blocked.

They continued with a quick succession of strikes and parries and blocks and counters, before Riku shot Dark Firaga again. The Shadow knocked this one aside with his chains, and then lashed his chains out at Riku. The chains caught him by the wrist, and a small jolt of lightning went through him. Riku bit his tongue, not allowing a gasp of pain to leave his lips.

The Shadow watched with excitement, before letting his chains fall away and drawing them back to him. Riku charged up Dark Aura. The Shadow watched, amused. The attack hit him pretty much full on, and once it ended, Riku pulled the attack again, figuring it had done a lot of damage.

Once Riku had finished with that, the Shadow rushed forward with a flurry of strikes, most of which actually hit. Riku retaliated with a combo of his own, and then began Helm Split. However, before he could get into the attack, the Shadow's chains caught him at the waist and he was thrown to the ground. Again, he was shocked with lightning, but did his best not to make any noise.

He quickly rose to his feet, and tried to strike while the Shadow was pulling his chains back to him. But before he could bring his blade down, the Shadow's chains lashed out and caught him by the wrist. The Shadow tugged, bringing Riku to his knees.

"How's that working for you?" the Shadow laughed, slowly walking over to Riku. "I'm stronger than you, see? There's no way you can defeat me!" He shot a dark lightning bolt or two at Riku as he said that, both of which hit. A small gasp of pain left Riku's lips, but nothing more.

_You're doing this on purpose,_ he thought bitterly. _Trying to play off my weaknesses. But it won't work!_

He shot Dark Firaga with his free hand, which the Shadow easily deflected. While he was distracted, however, Riku managed to shake the chains off of him, and rushed in for another attack.

He landed a good three blows on the Shadow, before back flipping out of the way.

The Shadow watched him, eyes dancing with amusement, waiting to see what he'd do next.

Riku, again, leaned back and shot Dark Firaga, and this time, the Shadow burst out laughing. He dropped his chains and caught the fireball in his hand.

"I can't believe you didn't see it!" he laughed. "Your dark attacks do _nothing_ but make me _stronger_!" He slowly absorbed the fireball, and then grinned. "Which means I can do _this!_" He shot three bolts of dark lightning at Riku, none of which were avoided.

A scream of pain escaped his lips this time, as Riku fell backwards. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight off the pain as the lightning continued to course through him. Eventually, it stopped, and he rose to his feet.

"Enough!" he shouted, striking the Shadow with his blade.

The Shadow retaliated, hitting Riku a good three times with his own blade. Riku began to strike again, but the Shadow teleported out of the way.

"Not so fast!" he taunted, and again his chains lashed out and caught Riku by the waist. With a simple tug, he pulled Riku back, causing him to fall. Riku groaned, and the groan quickly rose to a cry of terror as more dark lightning rushed through the chains and into his body.

The Shadow watched in excitement, enjoying every minute of Riku's pain. He shot lightning bolt after lightning bolt at Riku after that.

Riku curled up into a ball, still trying to ward off the pain as the lightning continued to cackle around his body.

_He was thrown against the wall, but before he could even fall to his knees, Larxene's knives had him pinned there. He looked up at her, terror in his eyes as he frantically tried to free himself._

"_You know the consequences for stepping out of line," Larxene said, voice cold._

"_No!" he shouted. "Please no!"_

"_Hmph," she muttered, slowly charging up one of her knives with lightning. "Maybe THIS will teach you a lesson!" she shouted, throwing the knife at him._

_He flinched, but it didn't hit him. Instead, it hit the wall three inches from his face. Before he could feel relieved, however, the lightning from that knife transferred to all the knives that were pinning him to the wall, effectively electrocuting him. He gasped and writhed in pain as the lightning coursed through his body. A scream escaped his lips, at which point Larxene summoned her knives back to her, releasing him from the wall. He fell to his knees, and then just flat out on his face, lightning still cackling around his body._

"And so the dark truth comes out," the Shadow laughed, pulling Riku out of the awful memory. The Shadow knelt down next to him, eyes still dancing with amusement.

"Shut… up…" Riku gasped.

The Shadow just laughed harder, sending another lightning bolt Riku's way.

"Stop it!" Riku screamed.

"Hell no!" the Shadow replied, charging up another lightning bolt.

Riku quickly found his blade, and blocked the blow. He struck the Shadow after that, causing the Shadow to stumble.

"How… do you know… about the memory?" Riku asked, having no strength to try and stand.

The Shadow laughed again, rising to his feet. "I thought it was obvious! I am _pure_ darkness. Every dark thought or past I _know._ Every fear, every rage, every guilt. I know them ALL. I feed off the darkness. I feed off your pain, and your hurt, and your fear, and your anger. All you're doing right now is making me more powerful."

"I hate you…" Riku muttered.

"Good," the Shadow replied.

_He's feeding off all my negative energy…_ Riku thought. _Hating him isn't doing me any good._

_But he's feeding off all my hurt… and my pain… and my anger. And off of all my rage and my fear…_

_He's feeding off my entire past._

_He's feeding off my darkest of memories._

_How can I stop that?_

"While we're here, why don't you tell me a bit more about that Namine of yours?" the Shadow laughed.

_Namine!_ Riku thought suddenly. _I wonder if she's okay right now. I hope she is… that would be bad if she was having a memory meltdown right now. I couldn't just leave Sora's Shadow here… What if he found her?_

He immediately decided he didn't like that thought.

"So she's important to you, is she?" the Shadow pressed. "Is that why you can't stand watching her hurt? Because you love her?"

"What?" Riku asked, his mind immediately going into overload. "That's not-" he began, but stopped. He hadn't actually come up with a reason for that before. He had never needed to. Everyone he had told that he couldn't stand watching Namine hurt like she did during the memory meltdowns didn't need a reason.

Was that the reason?

Did he really love her?

Before he could think more about it, he noticed something else. The Shadow winced as soon as his thoughts had drifted towards Namine.

_I wonder why…_ he wondered, but he was already thinking of an answer. He had been connecting happy thoughts to the darker ones. The Shadow could see every thought attached to a dark memory. He couldn't _avoid_ seeing those thoughts.

_And if those thoughts are brighter thoughts…_ Riku began, and then grinned. He closed his eyes, calling up the darkest of his memories, and quickly connected them to some happier thoughts and memories.

Anything concerning his past, he just connected it to the thought that his life was better now. Every thought about Namine was easy. Those thoughts were hardly dark to begin with, and even if they were, they were already connected to happier thoughts concerning her.

The Shadow gasped, clutching his head in pain. "The light…" he muttered. "Dammit! I _hate_ the light…"

Riku's grin widened. Slowly, he found he had the strength to stand, and rose to his feet.

"Don't think this is over!" the Shadow shouted. "I'll be back, and I'll keep coming back as long as Sora struggles with the darkness. And he won't stop struggling till I'm gone." The Shadow's eyes widened in shock, as he realized what he had just said. For once, terror was clearly present on his face. "Oh shit," he muttered. "I'm dead! I shouldn't have told you-"

Riku casually raised his blade.

The Shadow gasped, and in a flash of darkness, he was gone.

And Sora stood in his place.


	13. (DI) Broken Trust

admittedly, when I sat down to type up something short to post here, this was NOT what I had in mind for posting. However, since I wrote it, and the other thing can still be put off for a while more...

btw, this happens shortly after Toby's arrival in Castle Oblivion. I mean, it's slightly obvious, but... just in case...

* * *

><p>"23, I don't understand what you have against that poor boy, but I understand that you don't have to take your anger out on him," 19 called. "He's only a boy, after all. It's not like <em>he<em> understands why you're upset."

23 said nothing, merely continued at his brisk pace through the halls of Castle Oblivion. 19 grimaced. It was incredibly hard to keep up with 23 when he was like this.

"23, please!" 19 called.

23 stopped, but didn't turn to face 19.

"Did you know about this?" he asked.

19 frowned, taken aback. "Know about what?"

"The boy."

19 slowly shook his head, still incredibly confused. "No… why would I-"

"You think we don't notice?" 23 shouted, rounding on him. There was anger in his eyes. "Something completely out of place happens and you hardly even _flinch_. It's like you _know_. Like you _know_ what's going to happen before it happens!"

"23, don't be ridiculous," 19 laughed. "I don't know everything!"

"You certainly know more than the rest of us," 23 replied bitterly.

19 blinked a few times, trying to come up with a response to that. Everything he could think of either sounded stuck up or was something that he couldn't say.

"What's in that binder, 19?" 23 demanded.

19 swallowed.

"Listen, 23, I really wish I could tell you," he stammered. "But- but I can't tell anyone. I promised."

"Promised _who_?"

19 bit his tongue to prevent himself from replying. He simply shook his head; he could do nothing more.

23 glared. "Obviously they mean more to you than your own _brother_," he muttered, and the hurt and betrayal in his voice was unbearable.

"23, please, do not take it like that!" 19 pleaded. "It's nothing that concerns you anyway, it doesn't really concern any of us! I mean, really, I would-"

"If it doesn't concern us, then why can't you tell me?" 23 asked, his voice cold now.

"For fear of… those it does concern finding out…" 19 said, slowly. He felt like he was explaining himself after being caught in the middle of some terrible crime.

Maybe he had been…

Keeping secrets from his own brother, and all…

"You think I'll tell?" 23 sounded furious now, and the hurt had returned to his voice.

19 flinched away.

"N-no, of course not!" he said, frantically_. _"But- surveillance cameras…" he trailed off miserably.

23 groaned and turned away.

"23, if it makes you feel any better-" He was desperate now, he had to say _something_ to make 23 forgive him. 23 was his only brother left… "I- I knew nothing about 22. Nothing. It seems that… the things that matter most to me, I know nothing about…"

_Like… not knowing you'd be so cold to me, all of a sudden… _his thoughts added, but he could not voice that aloud.

"You're not lying to me, are you?" 23 asked, slowly.

19 stopped, taken aback. "23, if I had _known_-" he began, but had to pause and fight back his own anger and disbelief. "If I had known what was going to happen, I would've tried to stop it! I _would've_ stopped it!"

"You certainly seemed to be trying hard to knock Tulip to his senses!"

"That's because it's _Tulip!_ Don't you remember creating him?"

23 didn't respond.

19 sighed.

"And I didn't know about Tulip, either. If I had- well-" He sighed. "I admit, I don't know what I would've done to prevent what happened to Tulip from happening. But if I had known about 22-" His voice caught in his throat. "I- I wouldn't have left his side during that raid. I would've stayed next to him, made sure that it was _me_ and not him that was-" He couldn't finish the sentence.

23 grimaced.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, turning away. "For 22, and Tulip, at least. _You're_ the one who needs to apologize for keeping secrets from me."

"23, I already said-"

"And you haven't done anything to change it."

Before 19 could say anymore, 23 walked off. 19 watched him go; he had no will to try and follow him. He'd had enough arguing for one day…


	14. 19:1

Hey look, I'm breaking the fourth wall in this chapter! Got a problem with that? Shoot me!

Besides, it was 19's idea…

(btw, apologies in advance for the spacing issues. It looked so pretty in my word document, but the formatting on here doesn't allow for that... let me know if it's confusing due to spacing)

* * *

><p>19 here. I figured that maybe you (readers) might needwant to know this. Rar was a bit apprehensive about me doing this, but she does want to eventually get this posted, and since she's so busy, she figured she might as well let me take care of it.

So… here we are…

The untold story of Namine's creation which Rar meant to cover in-story but never will because there is so much _other_ crap going on.

XX

I could go through the trouble of explaining her creation myself, but, I think Master Vexen's words explain it much better than I could.

_Namine : Entry 1_

_Namine._

_Quite a task for me. To create a Replica of Namine, when Namine doesn't even exist in this universe. All the data I have is from Riku's Memories. Memories! The blasted things, they are so hard to gather data from. Plus, I'm not sure how well Riku's data survived the travel across universes. Obviously, enough that he is still alive, but his memories have probably seen better days._

_Then again, the forgetting and having to remember them probably didn't help._

_Neither did the rewriting._

_Or the shattering…_

_His memories are not stable enough to work with! I'm afraid that the Namine that will be produced from them will not be stable at all. There is risk of collapse, or even failure. Forcing me into this, and with so little time, insanity_

Master Vexen rambles a lot in the next report. I think him writing everything down helps – or, _helped – _him think through things or something.

_Namine: Entry 2_

_I don't know what to think. First Marluxia gives me an impossible task, and now he's expecting me to have it done before Riku gets further in the Castle? He can't be serious. Riku is going to storm through here in a matter of hours. I don't care how much stalling we do, there's not going to be enough time!_

_Even with the help of all my Replicas…_

_1 is off doing his usual duties. 2 isn't much help. I might drag him in anyway… 4 doesn't listen to me, and I won't have time to deal with him. 5 can help. 6… I wouldn't dare ask 6 for help. 7 has other duties… 10 also has other duties. I wouldn't ask 12 to help, nor 13 or 14. 16, I might consider recruiting… 17, no. 19 isn't busy, thankfully. I will need him. He seems to be the most helpful when it comes to new Replicas. 21 won't be any help. 22 has other duties. I suppose I could ask 23 for help, too. 24 and 25 are out on a mission. 28 is still at base. I wouldn't ask 29 to leave Joseph… 33 has Raymond. 34 is back at base, 35 is- oh yes, 35 was recently killed. I forgot about that. 37 is back at base. And that's all I have… Replicas 39-43 were all put on hold for the moment, as were most of the other Replicas I was working on when Marluxia told me about this._

_Speaking of which, though, maybe some of the other Replicas could be sent to stall Riku… I'm sure if we send a few Zexion Replicas after him…_

_That might be cruel._

_Larxene- no, he'll kill them._

_The Lexaeus Replicas all are back at base._

_Marluxia doesn't like me ordering his Replicas around, so…_

_Enough of that._

_Namine._

_Time to start on this project._

I'm so flattered… he made a special mention to me! I forgot how much I helped him with Replicas. I mean, I never thought I did anything special, considering my lack of ability to use computers and all. But, apparently, what I did must have really helped. I mean, all I did was sit there and make sure nothing went wrong with the Replica themselves, like- I don't know, that they were missing a finger or something stupid like that.

Oh- he mentioned 22… Not that I'm surprised, but…

I miss 22…

Oh goodness, it seems Master Vexen left out number 38. Did he? I mean, he left out a lot of other ones, but most of them I know were dead or otherwise at the time. I don't remember about 38… oh well…

Anyway.

This next report is rather short…

_Namine : Entry 3_

_I have no idea where to start. I mean, basic appearance is always a good place to start, but from there I have no idea where to go. She still needs personality, basic programming quirks…_

_I don't have sufficient data._

_The data from Riku's memories isn't entirely… stable…_

_And sorting through it is going to take forever, too. I put 16 on that duty. 19 is helping me with Namine herself, as he never has been skilled with computers. He's more like a safety check. He makes sure the Replicas themselves come out properly._

_He is apprehensive about this, too._

_That worries me._

Is it odd that I remember being apprehensive?

It, for some reason, makes me think of a while back, when Riku asked me if I knew of any reasons of why Namine might have turned out defective.

I'm not sure _why_ I'm reminded of it, though.

She is not defective due to lack of sufficient data. A bit unstable, maybe, but things worked out eventually.

I'd… explain how things worked out, but I'm afraid I'll leave something out. My memory isn't perfect, I'm not 2. Besides, there is so much _other_ explaining I'll have to do later, I would like to let Master Vexen to take care of this beginning part.

Sadly… Master Vexen was a very disorganized man.

Most of his reports were written on the nearest piece of paper he could find at the time of wanting to write them.

And, as such, I've only found these three reports, half of Report 4, Report 5, and Report 9.

I'll look around and see if I can find the rest of Report 4. If I can't, then I'll just cover the first half. Whatever the second half was, it can't have been _that_ important… Everything still makes sense without it


	15. (CoM) Let's Blame Larxene

ahem

the... reason why Riku hates to be caught crying...

I have no idea WHEN this takes place during CoM. After the first or second battle with Sora, I'm assuming, though. Probably the first.

* * *

><p>He hugged his knees tightly to his chest, trying to find some form of comfort in the pit of despair he had just fallen into. He was confused, he <em>hated<em> being confused. Plus, he hurt. His entire body was sore from the battle with Sora, and there was this throbbing in his chest-

He was also starting to get a headache…

He clutched his knees tighter, trying to steady himself. He had finally stopped crying just recently, but it felt like he might start crying again any second now.

"_There_ you are!" someone called.

He tensed. It was Larxene.

He didn't like her.

"What do you want, Larxene?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. He didn't really _care_, though. He hurt too much _to_ care.

"You gave us quite a scare, disappearing like that," Larxene explained. Her voice was sickly sweet, as if she actually was worried, but he knew it was just an act. "Is something wrong?"

He grimaced.

"I- I don't get it," he said, bitterly. "_I'm_ supposed to be the stronger one! Why did Sora beat me? When did he get so strong!" He pounded his fist angrily against the ground. Tears were running down his cheeks again.

Larxene laughed then. His eyes narrowed in anger, but his tears didn't stop.

"Aw, is little Riku upset about something?" she asked, her "caring" tone immediately falling into taunting now that she had something to tease him about.

He shot a glare up at her. His hand moved to his side, curling into a fist. He wanted to summon his blade, but he knew that it would be a bad idea, so he refrained.

"Are you _crying_!" Larxene exclaimed, putting a finger under his chin and tilting his face up so she could look at him better. He batted her hand away, his glare deepening and his hate for her growing. She laughed. A shiver went down his spine.

"Aww, is poor little Riku hurt? Has he got an owie?"

She was enjoying this too much for his liking.

"Just leave me alone," he muttered, turning away.

A knife hit the wall next to him, embedding itself there. It was sparking slightly with electricity. He flinched away from it, and then turned back to Larxene, a bit shocked, and maybe a bit… scared, now.

She was glaring.

"Don't cry," she told him, firmly. "It's annoying."

He stared, unsure of what to do now. He had the sudden urge to wipe his tears away, but he also felt that doing so would only make Larxene feel like she was getting her way. He kept his hands at his side.

"Only _weak_ people cry," she continued. "You don't want Sora to think you're weak, do you?"

"No."

"And what about Namine? Imagine how hard it must be on her, when her _hero_ is a weakling who cries all the time? You want to be strong for her, don't you?"

"Of course I do," he said, quietly, looking Larxene in the eye as he did so.

There was no kidding when it came to Namine.

She made a face.

"Then stop crying, got it?"

He grunted. She threw another knife at him, though it missed just like the last one. This one, however, had more lightning in it, and some of the lightning shocked him. He gasped, and then flinched away from the knife.

"Got it," he muttered.

"Good."


	16. 19:2

If anyone was wondering, I have been typing all this up for 19, since he is terrible with computers. I know what you're thinking "Rar! He said you were _busy!_"

I am. He just writes this all down first, then gives it me, and I type it up. Ten minutes to type up what he gives me is certainly less work then spending hours laboring over compiling all this crap.

* * *

><p>I had no luck finding the second half of Report 4. I did find Report 7 though! Still missing 6, 8, and 10.<p>

Heh. All even numbers!

_Namine : Entry 4_

_She is stable. Or, at least, in the ways of physical appearance. She remains asleep, however. She will not awake until the personality is implanted. 16 is still sorting through the data, and what data we do have worries me._

_Memories do not portray facts. They portray FEELINGS. More importantly, Riku's feelings. How Riku THOUGHT she acted is all we have._

_I suppose we could use this… but…_

_She will become perfect in Riku's eyes. Everything he remembers her and wants her to be. And, in that sense, the plan will work perfectly. Just as he was devoted to the Namine in his past, he will be devoted to this New Namine._

_Except…_

_Namine herself seems to be the issue._

I hate to interrupt you, but, after this Master Vexen's handwriting got rather sloppy. I'm usually good at deciphering it (I have to be good at _something_ if I'm no good with computers) but he was either really tired when he wrote this or just… really frantic.

Whatever it was, what is written next is what I could make out… I hope it still makes sense.

_I am positive that the plan will fail if she does not feel the same way towards Riku as he does towards her. _(This sentence was easy to guess, even though I could not read most of it.) _The Namine from his past _(I assume it says "past". "Past" makes more sense in this context than anything else)_ did not feel the same _(I don't think this is what he actually wrote, but this is my best guess)_ about him. His memories scream_ (I'm pretty sure this says "say" but, "scream" sounded more dramatic)_ it, _(I have no idea what he wrote here)_ fact is-_

And… that's where the page stops.

The basic gist of all that was that Riku's memories alone were not sufficient data to properly program Namine.

In fact, I remember this quite clearly.

Even though we had done _everything_ right, she still would not wake up.

Merely because lack of some data…

At the time, it didn't really matter to me.

But now that I have gotten to know Namine, well, the thought of her sleeping liking she did then – when she should have been awake but could not be awakened – it makes me shudder. The thought of her ever sleeping like that again is unbearable.

Anyway.

_Namine : Entry 5_

_I will have to thank that stranger, Edd. He fixed our problem. I'm not entirely sure where he managed to collect enough data to properly create a basic personality for her, but I'm not going to complain._

_She seems to be functioning perfectly._

_Well, her data isn't entirely stable, but I think that will be alright. If things work out the way we plan them to, I'll be able to keep an eye on her._

_Her personality is as it should be. Quiet. Drawing a lot. She's kind. I'm not entirely sure as to her feelings towards Riku, but Edd assures me it will all be fine._

_I suppose I should _(another little sloppy handwriting mishap, if you care. What he wrote originally looked like "could" but "should" made more sense)_ be suspicious about that, but only he knows how the data he retrieved works, so I will have to trust him…_

Well… I know where Edd got that data. I'll let you guys know in a bit. I'd like to cover the basics first before I dive deep into what Edd did. What Edd did was complicated, and it's makes more sense if I tell this in… layers, I guess, instead of chronologically.

Like drawing a picture.

I'm giving you the basic outline now (with Master Vexen's reports).

Then I'll straighten things out and make it look neater (with what Edd did).

Then I'll color it in (that would be how I fit in to all of this).

…

I've been spending too much time around Namine…

…

Anyway.

I haven't found Report 6 yet, but I will keep looking.


	17. (TH) Wait

So, remember forever ago when I mentioned that I had a fourth scene from when Sora and Kairi were kids?

Well, inspiration struck and I got it done. Yeah, it's kinda short, but...

uhm, what else did I say? (fanfic freaked and deleted my author's note)

well, I mentioned that I'd be doing a blog post about it

and... that, oh! Technically, this isn't when they're kids. This is during the Truth Hurts, shortly after Riku leaves for CO. Yeah. That's it.

* * *

><p>"It's not fair…" Sora muttered, kicking a rock aside in his frustration and then sitting down rather roughly in the sand. He pulled his sword out of his belt and started drawing in the ground. He angrily scuffed the picture up after a minute though.<p>

"Hey," Kairi said, placing a hand on his shoulder and slowly sitting down next to him. He threw a glare over at her, only to realize who he was glaring at. He sighed.

"I don't get it…" he said. "Why won't Riku let me go with? I'm not _that_ bad a fighter!"

"He's just trying to protect you," Kairi said.

"I bet he thinks that I'd be in the way…"

"If he _does_ think that, it's only because he thinks that this is something he needs to do on his own," Kairi told Sora, firmly. "And if he wants to do this on his own, then we have to respect that wish, don't we?"

Sora sighed and turned away. Kairi squeezed his shoulder and then started rubbing his back, hoping to comfort him. They sat in there for a moment, neither saying anything, the only noise being the sound of the waves.

"Do you remember her, Kairi?" Sora whispered after a moment. "That adventurer that showed up on the Islands forever ago… what was her name?"

Kairi frowned. She could… sort of remember who Sora was talking about. He was right, though, in his statement that had been a while since she was here. The memory was fuzzy by now.

"I think it was Aqua…" she said, uncertainly.

Sora nodded.

"Yeah, I think that's right," he muttered. "It's been so long that I had nearly forgotten, but… I can remember it now. I can- I can feel the warm metal of her blade in my hand. I can feel- feel power running through me, every now and then. I can hear this voice, sometimes, telling me 'Hold on, you're not ready quite yet'." He swallowed. "And I feel like I should listen, like I should trust that voice, but-" He tensed, fists clenching tightly, body beginning to shake. "But seeing Riku, seeing _him_ with that power, with the magic I've wanted all my life, I- I _can't wait!_"

He jumped to his feet. Kairi pulled her hand back and glanced up at him, worried.

"I- it's not fair!" he shouted. "_I'm_ supposed to be the hero! _I'm_ supposed to be your knight! Not _him!_"

Kairi laughed and rose to her feet.

"Sora, you'll always be my knight. Riku's not going to change that."

He made a face and crossed his arms. "I'm a pretty lousy knight, though, if I can't even fight off monsters. How am I supposed to protect you?"

"Well… you can always ask Riku to teach you how to fight…"

Sora laughed, bitterly.

"I don't even have a proper weapon!" He kicked his toy sword across the beach, just to emphasize his point. "I'd need a sword like Riku's got or… or that key… blade… thing that Aqua had. She said that one day I'd get a blade like that, didn't she?"

"I… think so…" Kairi replied slowly. She swallowed. "But… doesn't that mean that if you wait, you'll-"

"I've been waiting for nearly seven years now and nothing's happened yet!" Sora shouted, turning on her. He paused as soon as he realized he was shouting at. He grimaced, and then smiled apologetically. "Kairi, I- I'm sorry," he stuttered. "I'm just so frustrated!"

"It's alright," she assured him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into a hug. He laughed in surprise and then wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight and lifting her up off the ground slightly. She gasped in shock, and when he let go of her, she smacked him.

"I told you to stop that!" she said, trying to sound angry, but it soon fell into laughter.

Sora laughed, too.

Kairi sighed. "You know what I think?" she said after a moment, when their laughter had died down. He gave her an inquisitive look; asking his question without even saying anything. "I think you should listen to that voice at the back of your head," Kairi said. "I think you should wait and see what happens. Like you said, it's been seven years. Can't be much longer now, can it? Besides, maybe you have to hit a certain age or something."

Sora considered that. Kairi could tell just by the look on his face that he understood what she was getting at.

"Maybe you're right," he said, nodding. "You probably are, actually. I mean, most of this magic stuff in the fairytales is the same thing." He grinned. "It can't be much longer now!"

Kairi grinned, too, happy to see him so happy. She could tell he was still bothered about something, but she let it go. If he didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't going to press the issue. Instead she said: "You know what else I think?"

"Hmm?"

She kissed him on the cheek. "I think you make a wonderful knight, weapon or not."


	18. 19:3

More from 19!

* * *

><p>I never found Report number 6.<p>

But it doesn't really matter.

After looking over Report 7, I realized that I know what Report 6 _must_ have covered, and should be able to explain it adequately.

There was something wrong with Namine. Then, none of us had any idea what it was (Edd might have, and, now that I think about it, she might have too). Now, though, those who remember the dreadful days understand.

She was having meltdowns.

Her screams would penetrate the halls.

It gave me the creeps, and I know it upset quite a few others.

I remember that Edd refused to let anyone near her. I'm not _entirely_ sure why, but I'm beginning to think that it was more for our sake than for hers.

Did I explain that well enough?

I think I did…

Of course… Master Vexen might have more thoughts on this…

I promise you that as soon as I find Report 6 I will let you know.

Here is Report 7

_Namine : Entry 7_

_I overheard him _(Master Vexen is referring to Edd)_ talking to her _(Namine)_ earlier today. I shouldn't have been eavesdropping, I know, but I am worried about her. She is one of my Replicas, after all._

_He kept apologizing._

_She was hurting again._

_Only today did I catch what she had been saying between her screams._

"_Where's Riku? I need Riku! Why isn't he here?"_

_Over and over again would she repeat this._

_And over again Edd would tell her:_

"_He's not here. I'm sorry. I screwed up. This is all my fault. This is all happening too soon…"_

_I do not understand what he means._

_But I am suddenly very suspicious of him..._

See? Meltdowns, as I said.

Of course, you recognize it. Anyone who spends _any_ time with Namine now would recognize it.

…

Maybe I should just explain what Edd did now. I mean, I should probably just have you read the report _he_ wrote, but… I'm still deciphering that. I got the basic gist of all of it, but his handwriting is worse than Master Vexen's.

You see, what Edd did (I almost called him "Master" there. Maybe I should… it seems fitting…). What Master Edd did was, upon learning there was not a sufficient amount of data to finish Namine, he used his, ah, "magic" I think it was (his terms of magic are different than what I know to be magic) to transport himself to a point in time probably about… now, actually, and gathered data from Namine NOW. Why? Well, out of fear that collecting data from the Original Namine (from the other universe. I don't entirely consider her to be the "original" but it makes explanations so much easier…) would conflict with how Namine should turn out. After all, if it wasn't clear in Master Vexen's 4th Report, we have all come to the conclusion that the Original Namine didn't… really care much about Riku. Or, at least, not to the extent that he cared about her. And Master Vexen was positive that Namine did not feel the same towards Riku as he did towards her, the plan would fall in on itself.

The plan being, of course, Marluxia's plan to use Namine to enslave Riku and make him work for the Organization.

I laugh now at the thought of anyone thinking that would work…

Well… I suppose if Namine were- nevermind. I'm not going to get into this.

Master Edd, anyway, went and gathered data from Namine now and applied it to Namine in the past so that… well, she'd wake up at least. There might have been more reasons…

Anyway, that, for some reason, caused her to have meltdowns in the past. I'm guessing it's because she's having meltdowns now, it caused her to have them then…

…

Oh, and before you think anything, I am _not_ saying that's what's causing the meltdowns _now_. I have no idea what causes them. I just think that _then_ they were caused by data that was already prone to having them for… whatever reason…

Am I over explaining this?

I feel like I am…

I'm just trying to make things clear for you. Maybe I should have just waited until I had deciphered Master Edd's report…

XX

(conversation me and 19 had after him giving this to me)

Me: Are you sure you want to post this?

19: No no, it's fine. Go ahead.

Me: But you said that you should just wait until-

19: *shows me Edd's report*

Me: *falls out of chair* good gravy Edd! Please tell me your handwriting hasn't always been this bad and this is merely a side effect of you being constantly an inch from death!

19: You can't read it, can you?

Me: *straightens chair and sits back down* Nope. You?

19: Working on it…

Me: Well, if you run into him due to some time traveling on his part, let him know that he needs to try and write neater, and maybe that will fix the problem.


	19. 19:4

and... I'll just let 19 take it away... (things are getting important!)

* * *

><p>I apologize. I wasn't entirely clear in that last "post" (as Rar called it). I got carried away with explaining the meltdowns, and all that, and I left out something important.<p>

The meltdowns were not the only side effect of her having data from… ah… was "two different points in time" how Master Edd put it? Something of that sort…

Basically, the fact that she had data from _now_ confused her, because she had all the memories and thoughts and feelings that she would _now,_ and yet it was _then,_ and nothing was happening _then_ that she thought should be happening _then._

Ha, I can just imagine it.

"Where's Riku?" she would ask.

And someone, most likely Master Edd, would awkwardly reply: "Uhm… he doesn't know you exist yet…"

"WHAAATTT!"

Ah… the poor girl…

Hmm…

Now I am not certain if I am merely imagining that, or if I actually remember that…

Ah well.

Do you understand?

Just how confused she must have been?

And, of course… the confusion only gets worse…

Here is the next Report from Master Vexen (since we do need to continue with the story, after all)

_Namine : Entry 8_

_I asked her about him (_in case it's not clear, Master Vexen is referring to Edd_), today. He had gone missing. She wouldn't say much, only sat there and drew, filling up page after page of pictures. When she finally did say something of importance, all she said was:_

"_It's going to be alright. He said he was going to fix it. It's only going to take a bit of work, he said. I'm going to be fine."_

_I have no idea what he's planning._

_But I'm going to have to trust him._

_No one else can make heads or tails of what is going on._

From what I can tell from Master Edd's report (what I can decipher of it) this is about the point where he went to a different point in time to gather more… stable data from Namine. I'm not sure where, excuse me, _when_ he went, but-

Well, no, I lie.

I have a rough idea where he went. He went farther into the future. (My apologies for not realizing that right away. I have a lot of stuff in this head of mine. You try sorting it all out, why don't you?)

Master Vexen explains what happens next quite nicely

_Namine : Entry 9_

_I have no idea what he did, but he fixed her. I've never seen him look so tired in the short time I've known him, though. He mentioned something about Spells and extra locks on them so that they'll stay in place. As usual, though, I don't understand what he means by that._

_Him and his Spells confuse everyone here._

_But besides that, Namine seems fine._

_She's quieter now, though._

_She draws a lot less._

_Edd did me one last favor, too. He went and got data from the Original Namine. Data that can be used as a sort of patch so that the changes he made stay in place._

_I'm not sure what it's really going to do._

_But, as usual, I will have to trust him._

Hmm… I am not sure what to do next… If I want to explain what Master Edd did, well, it will take a while, and there isn't enough room left in this "post".

I suppose…

I'll just give you Master Vexen's last report, and then we'll worry about what Edd did in the next "post".

_Namine : Entry 10_

_I had to take it upon myself to finish editing Namine. 19 says he can't help any longer, though he won't give me a straight answer as to why. I'll have to figure that out, but later._

_As for now, Namine is in processing._

_There are a lot of changes that have been made to her, many of them made hastily. I figured sending her data through the processing cycle again might give it a bit of rest, time to sort itself out._

_In the mean time, Riku approaches the upper levels of the Castle._

_Namine will have to be ready soon._

_He is nearly here._

Well, there is a specific reason as to why I stopped helping, Master Vexen… but it's a bit too late for you to find out…

And you, readers, you'll find out in the next "post". I have something that I realized I have not covered yet, and need to cover first… so…

Besides all that, I think I'm done with this "post". I mean, the only extra things I have to say about Master Vexen's last report are, well, things that take too long to explain. So, I guess, for now, I'll go and try and straighten out my thoughts.

Because what comes next is… well… big…


	20. 19:5

FOR STARTERS, EDD AND HIS MAGIC IN THIS CHAPTER ARE NOT TECHNICALLY COPYRIGHTED TO ME, BUT I SWEAR IF I SEE YOU STEAL IT I WILL FIND SOME WAY TO SUE YOU!

that out of the way.

I know you're probably wondering: "Rar, you just updated yesterday, why are you updating today?"

well, because I felt like the last chapter didn't quite... resolve itself, so I'm posting this. This doesn't resolve itself either, but that's okay.

Also, I think I'm going to do a blog post concerning Edd and his magic. I've been trying to avoid posting a blog concerning the 19 chapters, but Edd is the exception.

* * *

><p>First of all, my apologies for not bringing this up sooner. I should have. I don't know why I didn't, it is the most important thing of all of this explanation, really. Or, at least, I assume it's the one you are most concerned about…<p>

Namine drew pictures, a lot of pictures, _stacks_ of pictures during those early stages of programming. Master Vexen mentioned it in passing, but what he said does not even do the pictures justice.

What was she drawing pictures of?

Well, the future.

Don't give me that weird look!

Thanks to Master Edd's meddling, and with her having data from the future (well, technically, it's the present as of now, but it was the future back then), the drawings were all memories, to her.

And at a time where she was, uh, "running seven months ahead of everyone else" as Rar put it, those drawings were a way for her to, I suppose, find some sort of comfort amongst the mass-confusion that was her life.

Most the pictures are of Riku, but, honestly, there really is no reason to be surprised about that, is there?

Anyway…

Now that you know about the pictures…

And after some arguing with Rar, because she's not so sure about me sharing this with you…

It's the mere "Namine saying she loves Riku" deal… which I don't get why it's a problem, we ALL know she does, or that she will, or- well, I don't claim to completely understand the girl's feelings, but the fact that she had feelings for Riku at this time is actually rather important. So Rar just needs to stop worrying and let me post it, because it'll make her life easier.

Don't argue, Rar, you know it's true…

Here is, well, Namine's thoughts about all this at the time… (the "he" she refers to is Master Edd)

_He told me I have to destroy my pictures. All of them. I don't know what to think. I can't bear the thought of losing all these precious pictures. All these precious moments… So many precious moments. Me and Riku, together. But he says it's wrong. He says I'll have to wait. It's too soon for all this, apparently. He says that I'm going to have to forget all of this, and having the pictures around might trigger something. He told me I could write my thoughts out, though, so I could look back and remember this later. I don't know how that's going to work… but I trust him. He seems to know what he's doing. He helped when I was hurting, and when things didn't make sense. Things still don't make sense, though. He keeps saying "It's too soon. It's too soon for you to be thinking like this." I don't understand what he's talking about. But, I think it has something to do with Riku. I really think it has to do with the fact that I love him. I love Riku. But he keeps telling me it's too soon. I'm not supposed to love Riku yet. Apparently he messed up. Something's wrong with me. I know that's what he thinks, even if he doesn't say it. It's in his eyes._

_I don't have much time. He says he needs to do this, and do this soon. If I don't forget soon, I might meet Riku, and he says that would be bad. I don't see why. I love Riku. And from what I've heard, he loves me, too. But… "too soon" he says._

_Too soon._

Rar dug this out of her archive for me (she did plan on posting it eventually)

xXx

Very slowly, she set the paper and pencil aside and then picked up the first picture on the stack. Very hesitantly she started to tear it in half. She stopped. It was such a beautiful picture. Her and Riku, together. A precious moment. She couldn't bear to see it ruined.

_ He told me… that I have to…_

_ He said… said that I shouldn't have to wait long. Then I can- then I can live these moments._

_ And the memories will be a thousand times better than the pictures._

She wiped the tears from her eyes.

_ I just won't look at them, _she told herself, and then proceeded to tear the picture to shreds. And then the next one. And then the next.

She cried the whole time.

And it was her tears that ruined the last picture. They fell onto the page, smudging all the lines. But she couldn't bring herself to destroy this picture. She had thrown it on the stack time and time again, and each time, at the thought of having to destroy it, she would break down into tears.

It was then that he walked in.

She glanced up at him, tears pouring down her cheeks, clutching the picture tightly to her chest. He stood there and stared for a minute.

_ He must be mad at me…_ she thought.

_ I wasn't supposed to get all worried about this…_

She turned away and started to tear the picture, like she was supposed to.

"Wait!" he said, dropping to his knees and grabbing her hands, holding them tightly, preventing her from doing any more damage. He tugged the picture out of her grasp, gently, and then sighed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He did not meet her gaze. "I shouldn't have made you do this."

She collapsed then, crying harder than she had yet. He winced and carefully pulled her close to him, holding her as she cried.

"Shh, shh shh," he said. "Be still. It's alright, I can fix this. I'm sorry I did this. Just forget about it. Forget the pain, forget the hurt, forget your tears. It's all okay, nothing's wrong. Forget about it. I'm sorry I made you go through that. It was stupid of me. Shh, hush now, it's all better."

She slowly stopped crying, and then went silent. He released her, and she squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her knees to her chest. When she finally opened her eyes, she found all her pictures in the stacks they had originally been in. She was absolutely thrilled at this, though she did not understand why. Her mind had forgotten, just as he had told it to.

"I'll have to take your pictures," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

She looked up at him, shocked. "Then I'll- will I see them again?"

He stared at her for a moment, and then smiled. "Yeah. Not for a while. But eventually."

She sighed. He had told her this time and time before. "Of course," she laughed.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Close your eyes," he commanded, and she did so. He placed his fingers on her temples and then closed his own eyes, beginning the dive into her mind. He gathered every change he had made. Every thought about Riku, every thought about the pictures, every memory she had that she shouldn't have yet, every thought that it was too soon for her to be thinking of, and he pushed them aside to the depths of her mind where they would wait.

The wall was hard. He had to hold the thoughts and memories back. It would have to stay there until time caught up to her mind. And that would be a while. So he had to build the wall strong, and he had to build it smart enough to recognize when the time was right.

It took a lot of energy.

Finally, though, he pulled his hands away.

It was a moment and a rush of cold air before he said:

"You can open your eyes, now."

And when she did, she had no recollection of what had just happened. Her pictures were gone, though she did not even register that they had been there in the first place. She had little memories left, and she looked confused.

She did, however, recognize Edd.

And she did recognize that he looked more tired than he ever had before.

"We're done," he said with a smile. Then he rose to his feet and walked out.

xXx

I don't think I really need to explain that any more, do I?

* * *

><p>19: Rar, stop complaining. You and I both know that me explaining this will save you a lot of headache later<p>

Me: yeah… I know…

19: Then why are you still so upset?

Me: It's the OCD… this post was a good 600 words longer than the rest…


	21. 19:6

what do you mean I still have two chapters to post! I could've sworn that this was the last one but, NO, there's still one more!

So, sorry guys. I mean, I know not a lot of you care about the chapters, but I can't do the meltdown theories post until I'm done posting these, because there's something important about this that will come up in the meltdown theories post

* * *

><p>So, I have explained everything, haven't I?<p>

I covered all the trouble it took to get Namine functioning (besides Master Edd's report, itself, which Rar and I are still trying to decipher).

I explained the slight paradox that was in Namine's data for a while.

I covered her forgetting it.

I covered the pictures.

What else is there to cover?

How I fit into all of this, which is why I'm here explaining all this in the first place, honestly (in case you had forgotten).

This next bit is… merely what I can recall from memory. So… sorry for lack of detail, I guess…

xXx

"19!" Master Edd called.

I paused what I was doing (I think I was heading somewhere…) and turned to him, a bit confused. "What is it you want?" I asked, trying my best to sound polite (I have a feeling that I needed to be somewhere important).

Master Edd handed me a stack of papers.

I took them, even _more_ confused.

"These are all Namine's pictures, some of her thoughts, and a basic report of what I did to her," he explained. I flipped through the pictures curiously. "You have to keep them safe for me; I won't be around much longer. You can return them to her when the time is right."

"And why must _I_ keep them safe?" I asked.

"Because I can trust you," Master Edd told me. "And because you don't die."

That statement confused me so much…

It still confuses me…

I think I asked him what exactly he meant by that, because I remember him shaking his head and telling me that he had said too much or something.

"Just _please_ keep them safe and away from her," he said. "And you mustn't tell _anyone,_ got it? Not even Riku, even if he does ask."

At the time, I didn't realize that Riku would be so… I don't know… involved? I had to ask why Riku had any importance in all this.

"This is all for him," Master Edd told me. "You won't understand 'til at least tomorrow, at latest, maybe a couple months. But it will make sense, I swear. Now promise you won't tell anyone! _Especially_ not Riku!"

"I promise…" I assured him slowly. I didn't understand what I was getting into.

I wonder if I knew… would I have agreed?

No matter. Too late now.

I think Master Edd started off after this, because I remember telling him to wait.

"If I must return these to her when the time is right… when is the right time?" I asked, as he had never specified.

"You'll know," Master Edd said. "It'll be obvious."

I remember smiling as I told him that "Obvious can have more than one meaning."

He laughed, agreed, then thought about it, and finally said:

"It will be about the time when all things seem like they're going to hell."

I was taken aback by this statement, but he didn't notice. He merely clarified:

"It won't be the first time that everything seems like it's going to hell, either." I think he was referring to the turmoil that would come when the Program was handed over to Saix, and my pondering over it is the only reason that I remember it.

I do, however, remember this part quite clearly.

"Riku will be there, but he won't be the cause; in fact, he'll probably more upset than anyone else. Namine might not be _physically_ there at the time, and you will most likely have to wait to return the information to her. Sora will be there, too, and he probably won't be in good shape. Also… keep an eye on Joseph. He'll be at his bravest."

xXx

I wasn't quite sure how Joseph fit in to all this.

In fact, I might not be entirely sure now.

It seems that hinge of everything, though; if his part doesn't fit with the other three, then it cannot be the right time.

Because… I thought for a while that when Namine first showed up at Castle Oblivion would be the right time. Riku was upset, Namine wasn't really in a position for me to return this to her, Sora was there and struggling with darkness, which _can't_ be a good state. However… I cannot peg any action of Joseph's at the time as brave.

Besides, I soon realized that Master Edd specified Namine would most likely not be there _physically,_ and not just in a position that I would be able to return everything to her.

And, also, the pictures- well… I guess that is something for another post.


	22. 19:7

urg... OCD... don't like the fact that these are all in a row... but the only thing I have to post here I can't until I'm a bit further in Dead Inside...

ah well...

let's just get this over with...

* * *

><p>Now you ask: "19, what's in that binder?"<p>

And if we were sitting face to face while I explained all this, right now would be where I pull out the binder and show you.

However, we aren't sitting face to face…

Anyway, the binder contains, namely, her pictures, along with Master Edd's Report, that page of Namine's thoughts, and whatever Report of Master Vexen's I could find.

Still looking for that second page of Report 4… Even though I know it's not important, I am curious.

Now, you better not be asking: "If it's only pictures, why can't anyone see it?"

If you are… I will smack you over the head with this binder. It's a rather heavy binder…

Weren't you paying attention?

She drew things- these drawings are all of things that _haven't happened yet._ While, yes, by this point some of them have, but _most of them haven't_.

It's bad enough _I_ know all this stuff; if everyone else knew, too, there would be madness!

…

You are following this, right?

I have _every_ picture she drew during that time. And all the pictures she drew _then_ were of the future; things that have either happened just recently or haven't happened yet as of _now_.

Which means _I_ know, essentially, everything that is going to happen up until, well, a point that I can't tell you about.

Okay, well, not _everything._

But quite a bit concerning Namine.

There are _a lot_ of pictures of her and Riku, might I mention.

And…

…

I really should mention this. I should. It's just- it's been my little secret for so long, the thing that I dare not tell anyone above all else-

Rar's telling me that I better hurry up and make a decision. I've been sitting here for the past hour mulling this over. She's telling me that I can either erase my last few sentences, to avoid being suspicious, or- well, just tell you guys.

I guess… there is no harm…

There is _another_ special thing about these pictures, besides the fact that they are all of the future (minus the ones that have already happened, of course).

There's a lot of built up emotion in them… emotion of Namine's that needs to be released somehow, because it's all just dormant in the back of her mind otherwise.

Hmm… I wonder if that dormant emotion is what is causing the meltdowns… I'll have to mention it to someone. Of course, that requires bringing up the _rest_ of all this.

Ah well.

And just in case you're wondering how that could have _possibly_ caused the meltdowns back _then,_ since there was no dormant emotion until _now-_ The reason she was having meltdowns back _then_ were literally caused by the fact that she has them _now_. Her data was running 7 months ahead of normal. It's a paradox. Rar's just spewing stuff at me and I'm writing it down. And she thinks it's funny that I just wrote that because it's typically the other way around.

Anyway.

Back to the subject of the pictures releasing dormant emotion.

I- not only have I seen the pictures, and from what she drew gathered what would happen, but- I have also _felt_ emotions that were attached to said pictures. _Felt_, past tense, because now that I have seen – no, _felt_ – everything, there's no reason for me to feel it again.

At least, that's what I assume. The only pictures that I still can feel emotion of are the spare few of Riku's memories (no surprise) and a couple others that have stronger emotions attached to them.

As such, I have been avoiding a particular one for a while now…

And a couple others, _just to be safe._

I mean, it's not like there's anything _wrong_ with what she feels or thinks or anything; it's nothing disturbing, it's just- I guess it's disturbing that _I_ know about it. I feel like I'm invading her privacy. Though, I am, technically…

I just try not to think about it too much…

If you care to know, though, this is the _main_ reason I don't show the pictures to anyone. While, yes, I did promise Master Edd and, yes, these are all pictures of things that happen in the future-

I find myself thinking: it couldn't hurt if just _one_ more person knew.

Then I remember the emotions and- well- it's bad enough that _I_ have felt them; it would be _awful_ if someone else had, too.

That is, in fact, the only reason I haven't shared this with 23. I mean, I guess I could've told him simply what they were, and just not let him seen any of them, but- he's rather nosy… And- it's a bit late now. I… I have trouble trusting him now…

He's acting just like 21 did, before-

Enough of this. You didn't come to hear me talk about my brothers. You came here on account of Namine.

And, really, I think I have explained everything.

So… unless I find that other half of report 4, I have nothing else to say on this subject, and this will probably be the last you see.

By the way, I _did_ find report 6. It wasn't interesting. The only thing Master Vexen mentioned that I didn't cover was overhearing Master Edd muttering to himself as he tried to figure out how he was going to fix everything. And, while amusing, is in no way important to this. If you want to read it, let Rar know, she can "post" it just as well as I can.

And… besides that…

Well, there isn't anything else. You have any questions, just ask Rar, and she'll let me know.


	23. Meltdown Central aka More AU HB stuff

So... magik wrote this... actually. I deemed it spoilers, due to the paradox and all that, and so it wasn't posted along with the rest of that AU HB scene. (Which is an AU of Can't Escape ch39-42 in case you'd forgotten)

now that I've covered the paradox, I can post it.

* * *

><p>"Shut up! All of you!" Namine shouted, angrily banging her fist on the table. "You're giving me a headache!"<p>

The room fell into a stunned silence.

"Thank you," she sighed, rubbing her head.

Riku glanced up at her, meeting her eyes.

"Meltdown?" he whispered.

"Hasn't gotten there yet," she replied bitterly.

"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered. "I-"

"Stop apologizing!" she snapped. "It only makes it worse!"

Riku looked taken aback for a moment, then he just bit his lip and said nothing. (Tifa continued to work on his hand?)

"Meltdown?" The Other Namine asked.

"Don't ask," Riku warned.

"I don't see why she can't know," Namine said quietly.

"But I don't want you to have to explain it and then have yours get worse!"

Namine grimaced and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's already practically too late."

The Other Namine (along with Kairi and Xion) cocked their heads to one side. Aerith and Tifa had even gained looks of concern. Leon was probably more concerned than he looked. Cid was chewing on a piece of straw, thinking. Yuffie was playing with a piece of materia, completely not paying any attention at all.

Namine gasped. Riku winced. Tifa was pretty sure it had nothing to do with his hand and everything to do with Namine.

"It's like, this build-up of memories," Namine tried to explain. "Sometimes they're mine, a lot of times they're Riku's... and they all just... bombard my head..."

"You don't have to continue," Xion said. "I think Namine gets the picture."

The Other Namine was regarding the Namine Replica with a thoughtful expression.

"Maybe I could... maybe I could do something to help..." she said quietly.

Riku glowered at her. He decided very quickly that he did not LIKE glowering at her, but even if she was Namine, she wasn't HIS Namine and she may or may not be threatening HIS Namine. And he wasn't going to stand for that.

"I understand why you would be apprehensive about that," The Other Namine said quietly, meeting his gaze. "But may I at least take a closer look? Maybe I can understand what's going on."

"Promise not to... change... anything?"

She nodded. "Promise."

The Other Namine turned to the Namine Replica. "May I?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to try to understand what's happening."

"Good luck."

One Namine put her fingertips on the other Namine's temples. They both gasped.

Riku frowned. They were making the exact same face and he didn't like it on either of them.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Xion whispered quietly.

"No," Riku said gruffly.

Kairi winced. "What WAS that?"

The Other Namine pulled away. She carefully guided Namine into Riku's lap, where she rested her head on his knee. Riku was slightly confused for a moment, then he just went with it and carefully stroked her hair, hoping he didn't add anything to the pain.

The Other Namine bit her cheek and frowned.

"Namine," Kairi asked quietly. "What was that last memory? That certainly wasn't the Sora I know."

"It wouldn't have been," Namine replied, sounding deep in thought. "That was this universe. That was..." She turned to Riku. "His memory."

Riku grimaced.

"That wasn't the weirdest part though," Namine said, still deep in thought about something.

She frowned and pulled her sketchbook out of her bag. She started drawing, but it wasn't anything really recognizable. It was like jumble of pictures all on top of each other, even in black and white.

"That's what I see," Namine said. She had looked up from Riku's lap.

"Which is odd," Namine said, not looking up from her drawing. "Is that... it couldn't be? That shouldn't be, that's for sure."

"What?" Riku asked, his voice strained.

"I think there is a paradox in her memories."

"A what?" Riku and Xion asked simultaneously.

"A paradox!" The Other Namine repeated. "She has memories that haven't happened yet!"

"That memory with Riku and the blood," Namine mumbled into Riku's leg. "That one's happened."

"But others haven't! They can't have! Not yet. It's not possible for them to have happened and you to..."

She stopped.

"You've completely lost me," Riku said. "Are you sure they're not just memories from my past? She was made from my data. Could it be that? Given everything that's happened to my memories?"

Namine shook her head. "Then I would recognize them."

"Well, you see stuff that hasn't happened yet..." Kairi said.

The Other Namine turned to her. "Yes, but I can handle that."

"Are you saying she can't?" Riku asked, his voice once again strained.

"No. I'm saying that it's not that. If she's anything like me, which I'm assuming there is enough of a resemblance outside of physical appearance, then simple things from the future shouldn't bother her. Unless, there is a direct contradiction between the future and a fact that she believes to be true."

"You sound like Vexen," Riku said. Just as Xion said:

"You sound like a Vexen Replica."

"What do you mean by a contradiction?" Kairi asked.

"Well, assumin' I'm followin' this conversation like I think I am. What this Namine means is that if there's a truth that that Namine holds to be true, but then she sees somethin' in a 'memory' that doesn' go along withat, her mind can' process it and she has a meltdown."

"Is there a way to fix that?" Riku asked.

"Not without me sticking her in a memory pod and trying to sort out what's real, what's not real, what she's seen that might be real..."

"Right, so, no."


	24. Original draft of some scene from FtP!

So... I was looking through some old documents, and I found this baby! It's no wonder I rewrote it and rethought this sequence...

btw, you've probably read the dream sequence at the beginning. I think I uploaded it in my first dump of throwaway scenes...

* * *

><p><em>"Please, Sora," Kairi pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Don't do this! Turn back while you still can!"<em>

_ He stood there, still in Dark Mode, still holding his Keyblade. He stood in front of the Keyhole, that would be completed oh so soon. He turned away from her, shaking his head. "It's too late to turn back," he whispered. "I've come this far. If I go back now…" he clutched his free hand to his heart, and then looked determinedly up at the Keyhole. "I can't go back. I will do this. I have to."_

_ "Sora!" she cried, staring at him in disbelief. She was shocked, angry, confused. She couldn't tell if the tears that rolled down her cheeks were from sadness or anger. She didn't know what was wrong with him. She turned away, and bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears._

_ "Please! If you can still hear me-" she shouted, hoping to get to that last bit of light that was there in Sora's heart. "Turn back. You don't have to do this. You know that!" She was sobbing now, and her voice barely escaped her tears "Sora, my Sora, come back. Please-" She broke down into sobs and lay crying on the ground, so scared. Sora was gone. The Sora she knew was gone. The boy standing in front of her wasn't Sora, just some pawn of the darkness._

_ He turned and looked at her, a bit of pity in his eyes. But he didn't run and comfort her, as he would have only a few weeks ago. He turned and walked away, as if he didn't even care._

_ But some part of him did. The tiny bit of light left in his heart broke down crying too, ashamed of what the rest of him was doing. Ashamed that he had made Kairi this scared. Ashamed that apparently he no longer cared._

XX

Sora woke up in a panic. He sat there for a second, terrified.

_I have to fix this, _he thought, jumping to his feet.

XX

"Kairi!" he said, opening the door. "Kairi, I-" he stopped. Kairi was asleep. "Kairi!" he asked. She didn't budge.

"Oh no," he muttered, before running off.

XX

"What did you do to Kairi!" he demanded, upon finding Maleficent.

Maleficent tried to look surprised. "Silly child," she laughed. "I assure you I've done nothing."

Sora glared at her, hatred bubbling up inside of him. He could tell she was lying. He glared at her a second more, before turning away, tears forming in his eyes.

He ran.

XX

Sora sat, in some corner of Hollow Bastion, crying. "What have I done?" he moaned, rubbing his head. "Kairi's hurt, and it's all my fault. If I had just-" he groaned. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I can help you…"

Shocked, Sora looked up. A mysterious cloaked figure stood in front of him. The figure's face was hidden by a hood, and under the hood seemed to be nothing but darkness. Sora frowned.

"Hey, you're that guy from the islands!" he said after a moment.

The mysterious figure did not respond with an appropriate answer. "I can help you retrieve what has been lost…"

"What?" Sora asked, curiosity peaking.

"You have lost something," the figure repeated. "And you want it back."

Kairi flitted past his mind. Her heart, it had been stolen. Could he get it back?

"I can help you…"

Sora swallowed. Did he want that?

Of course he did.

But was this… right?

"You… can?" he asked nervously.

"All you need is a little more strength, and then you can take back what has been stolen from you," the figure explained.

"Strength…" Sora whispered. Was that really all it would take? "What can I do?" he asked.

The mysterious figure laughed. "It is really quite simple. Open yourself to darkness. That is all. Let your heart, your being, become darkness itself."

Sora almost gave in, but he pulled back. It was the darkness that had gotten him into this mess. There was no reasonable way it would help him get back out. He closed his eyes, turning away. He wasn't going to give in. He had had enough with the darkness.

"_But what about Kairi?"_ the darkness inside him asked.

_I'll find another way, _he told it.

_"What if there is no other way?"_

_ There's got to be another way…_

The darkness inside him was frantic now, lashing out against him. It was intent on pulling him down. He gasped, pain shooting through him as he tried to resist.

"Stop resisting," the mysterious figure said. "Open your heart to darkness!"

His control slipped, his resistance faltered, and he gave in.


	25. (DI) Extra Content 1: Beast's Castle

well, I wanted to upload something, and I guess I should upload a chapter to Dead Inside itself. Maybe tomorrow.

Anyway, this is the first of something that I was going to have to start doing at some point. This is "extra" content: content that I had planned to put in but just didn't make it in. (couldn't make the conversation flow with it in, was a path I didn't want to go down, took too long, etc.)

Btw, CHECK OUT THE BLOG! I posted the long awaited "Meltdown Project" video there.

**Update Feb 2014: **The Meltdown Project can be found on my youtube channel. This chapter goes with like... ch98 or so of Dead Inside, which takes place in Beast's Castle, so this all may have been slightly self explanatory. Oh well.

* * *

><p><strong>~Beast's Castle content<strong>

Sora nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sora." He had a feeling that Mickey already knew that, but he figured it would be best to introduce himself, anyway.

"So, Sora, what brings ya here to this World?" Mickey asked after a moment.

Sora shrugged. "Nothing really." He scratched his head.

(**This next part was technically written in "chat" format, but fanfic says that's not allowed... so I edited it**)

"I've been traveling the Worlds, sorta just killing random Heartless." He paused, and then laughed. "It's funny, though, that I haven't run into any other Organization 13 members, now that I think about it. That man that was just here, whoever he was, made it sound like they really needed me or something."

"Well, I came here because I had heard that there was an Organization 13 member causin' trouble, and I thought maybe I could help out," Mickey said, then laughed nervously. "Boy, I sure am glad I got here in time-"

"Yeah, or I would've been toast." Sora smiled.

(**This next part didn't make it in because it made the conversation too complicated and completely killed the flow of the chapter**)

"I mean, I suppose it makes sense." Sora said. "Being the _only_ one of anything would be a huge weight for anyone to handle, wouldn't it?"

He sighed and summoned his own Keyblade. It looked rather plain in comparison to Mickey's, and there was still one rather large crack running down the length of it. He grimaced slightly at the sight.

Mickey's eyes widened in shock.

"How long has your Keyblade been like that?"

"Uhh…" Sora made a face. "Well… a while, I guess. I mean…" He paused, thinking about it. "About as long as I've had it? I… kinda remember there being a time _before_ there was a crack in it, and then there was a time when it was _worse…_" he trailed off, uncertainly, and then frowned. "Why…? Is something wrong?"

Mickey frowned, too, and banished his own Keyblade. "May I?" he asked, holding his hand out.

"Yeah, sure," Sora said, handing his Keyblade over.

Almost immediately after Mickey had his hand around the hilt of the blade, the crack started mending itself. Mickey gasped and nearly dropped the Keyblade in shock. Sora took it back, and in the moment he had his hand around the hilt the blade cracked again. He stared at it for a second, turned it over in his hands, and then looked up at Mickey.

"You… saw that, right?" he said, slowly, a bit confused. "I didn't just imagine that?"

Mickey laughed.

XX

(**OKay, so, I only meant to upload Beast's Castle stuff, but it was SOO little, so:**)

**~content that was planned to go somewhere during that conversation between Kairi and her dad while they were eating ice cream:**

She dropped her spoon into her bowl and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know," she said, voice shaking. "Nothing's been alright ever since Namine left. I mean, I'm not mad at her for leaving. I know she wants to be where Riku is, and I'm okay with that, I just- I just don't know! I don't know anymore!" Her voice quickly rose to a shout, and she pounded a fist against the table. "I don't know what to do, I don't know what's happening, I don't know if I'm even _sane!_"

"Princess, of course you're-"

"I'm the only one who can remember him!" she shouted. "I mention him to anyone and all I get is blank stares back. Selphie _kind_ _of_ remembered him after some prompting, but only _kind of_, and even _you_ had trouble remembering him! And- in school- it- it's like no one acts like he's there, but no one notices he's gone either! His seat's still empty in math class, even though we're allowed to sit wherever we want, Mr. Raines still calls his name for attendance, but doesn't say anything about the fact that no one answers-"

Her dad grabbed her by the arm, stopping her.

(**I stopped there because I realized it was taking the conversation down a path that I just didn't want to bother with**)


	26. (Prequel) Date with Fate

sorry this so long. It's like, nearly as long as Nothing's fair (about four pages shorter)  
>However, I'm not splitting this into chapters. I'm just not.<p>

I might've had this posted sooner, but it went from "make a few edits" to "completely rewrite this because the original scene was absolute poop"

That's it

* * *

><p>They were walking through the streets of Radiant Garden. It was early evening, and it looked as if a storm was moving in (making it much darker than it usually would've been at this time of day). On the left was a tall young man with long spiky black hair who walked with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. On the right was a boy in his late teens, who was a few inches shorter but had even spikier blond hair that fell into his eyes.<p>

"Hey Cloud, it's getting pretty late, huh?" the young man with black hair asked, turning to his friend.

The blond haired boy, Cloud, shrugged. "I guess…"

"Maybe we should crash at Aerith's tonight, before we keep going."

At this, Cloud smiled. "You just want to see Aerith, don't you Zack?" he teased.

The black haired man, Zack, just grinned. "Maybe," he laughed.

Cloud rolled his eyes, and Zack just continued to grin.

"Whatever you want to do," Cloud said finally.

"Alright then!" Zack turned abruptly and started in a different direction. "To Aerith's!"

Cloud sighed and followed after him. It wasn't often they were in Radiant Garden, so he couldn't complain that Zack wanted to see Aerith every time that they were here. He and Aerith _were_ sort of dating. Sort of, only because Zack traveled frequently due to his job (as a mercenary) and so they didn't see each other often. Zack did, however, make sure to spend as much time with Aerith as he possibly could when he was in town.

Thus making trips to Radiant Garden a tad boring for Cloud.

"I wonder if anyone else will be there tonight," Zack said. "I almost hope so. I've been craving some of Cid's soup for a while now…"

Cloud smiled slightly at the fact Zack had said "almost". Even though Zack would've enjoyed the company of everyone else if they were there, and would've eaten more than four bowls of Cid's soup, it was obvious that also wouldn't mind spending time alone with Aerith.

Cloud privately resolved to ask Leon if he could stay at his house tonight.

_Jealous?_

He frowned and actually paused for a second, wondering where the heck _that_ thought had come from. He quickly caught up to Zack, glad that Zack was too busy talking to notice that he had stopped.

_Of what?_ he asked himself, trying to remain as calm as possible despite the feeling of something stirring in his heart.

_Them?_

_ It's just hard to avoid feeling like a third wheel around the two of them, and if there's anything I don't want right now, it's to be a third wheel._

There was too much bitterness in the thought.

And the something stirring in his heart was growing steadily stronger.

Knowing exactly what it was, he desperately fought it back, not wanting to deal with it right now.

Pity the pain it caused made it hard to concentrate…

He slowly sunk to his knees as his vision blurred and clutched his chest as the darkness raged through his heart. It was crushing him, making it hard to breathe, hard to think, impossible to concentrate on holding it back—

"Hey Cloud, what's taking you so long?" Zack laughed, finally realizing that Cloud wasn't next to him anymore. "Did you get lost or-" He paused as he turned and saw the state that Cloud was in. "Cloud!" he shouted, rushing over.

"Won't… give…" Cloud said through clenched teeth. "Won't… _let it_…"

"Hang in there, buddy," Zack said, grabbing Cloud by the shoulders. "The darkness is no match for you! You can fight it."

Zack glanced up, slowly, scanning the area with his eyes while not trying to draw attention to himself. He had known Cloud for years now, and the only time when Cloud's darkness lashed out like _this_, it was when someone was interfering.

But who?

And, more importantly, where were they hiding?

Cloud shuddered all over. "Zack-" he gasped. "Please- I can't-"

"Just keep fighting it Cloud," Zack said, rising to his feet. He scanned the area again, but still found no one. He slowly drew his sword – a rather large sword, that, despite its size, Zack wielded with ease.

"Alright then!" he called. "Where are you?"

No answer.

Zack shifted his stance slightly, scanning the area again.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing to my friend!" he continued. "And don't think that I'm not willing to fight you if that's what it takes to get you to stop!"

Silence for a moment.

Then—

"Is that so?" Someone asked. Their voice was cold, and yet there was laughter behind it. Obviously, they found this whole situation funny.

Zack turned. His eyes widened in shock for a second before falling into a glare.

"Xehanort…"

He had spent most of his job as a mercenary fixing the problems and fighting off the monsters that Xehanort sent ravaging throughout the Worlds. He had only seen Xehanort himself once or twice, but there were countless stories about him. None of them put him in a good light.

Zack took a breath or two to calm himself so that he could concentrate.

_Looks like I'll have one of those stories to tell after this,_ he thought, gripping his sword tighter.

"I'd rather not fight you," Xehanort said, calmly, his eyes not once leaving Cloud.

"And I'd rather avoid-"

Cloud screamed.

Zack winced.

"That," he finished, casting a worried glance at Cloud. He shook his head and returned his attention to Xehanort. "I'll warn you one last time. Leave Cloud alone!"

Xehanort only smiled.

Zack rushed forward to swing at Xehanort. Xehanort simply took a step back and out of the way, though it was hardly necessary. Something pierced Zack in the back, causing him to stumble and fall to his knees. He clenched his teeth and drew a sharp breath in, trying to avoid crying out in pain. He wasn't going to break that easy.

"Well look who we have here," a new voice said.

Zack dragged himself to his feet and turned to see who was speaking. No surprise, he found a man with an eye-patch and scar on his cheek, Xehanort's right hand man: Braig.

"The famous mercenary Zack," Braig continued, casually reloading his guns as he made his way over. "I've always wanted to fight you. Looks like now's my chance."

"Tough luck," Zack said calmly. "My fight's with him." He nodded at Xehanort.

Braig shrugged. "And my fight's with anyone who messes with him while he's working." He aimed his guns.

Zack quickly brought up his sword to block the bullets that were sent his way. Hoping to make this quick, he rushed forward to attack Braig.

Braig simply teleported out of the way.

"Hey! No fair!"

A couple of bullets hit him in the shoulder, and Zack turned to block the next few bullets that came his way. Braig had to pause to reload. Zack, knowing he didn't have enough time to make it over to him and land a blow, sent a blast of Firaga in Braig's direction. It looked like it hit.

Zack quickly glanced at his shoulder and examined the damage. The bullets were missing – obviously some sort of magic bullets that would fade – but the wounds they left behind didn't look pretty. His shoulder was quite a bloody mess, and it hurt, too.

He quickly cast Cure, which seemed to heal up most of the mess.

It still hurt a bit, though.

He looked up just in time to dodge out of the way of a few more bullets. He prepared to try and attack Braig again when Cloud let out another cry of pain.

Zack turned and was pleased to find that Xehanort had his back to him. He rushed forward and struck—

Only to have Xehanort somehow dodge out of the way. Zack made to strike again, but Xehanort summoned his own blade two him, blocking Zack's attack with ease. Zack grunted and shifted slightly, putting more force on his sword.

"Cloud!" he called over his shoulder. "How you doing?"

Cloud made some sort of noise as a response, but Zack had absolutely no clue what it meant.

"Do you think you can- agh!" Something wrenched at Zack's heart, cutting his sentence short and knocking him off balance. Xehanort smirked. Zack only just managed to bring up his sword in time to block Xehanort's blade. A long chain of strikes and blocks and counters followed as Zack defended himself. He considered trying to land a hit on Xehanort, but he was spending so much time blocking—

It was hard to concentrate, though. Any moment now Xehanort would break through his defenses, and—

Xehanort struck, and Zack didn't manage to block in time. He stumbled slightly, gasping in pain, and quickly backed away. He clutched his chest, felt blood and a torn shirt. He didn't dare actually look at the wound. He kept his eyes firmly on Xehanort.

But… where was Braig?

_There's two of them, but that's no big deal,_ Zack told himself, casting a stronger Cure on himself. The pain lessened significantly, but not entirely. The wound must've been more serious than he thought. _I've been out numbered worse than this and still come out just fine._

_ However, there's Cloud to consider this time around…_

_ He's in no shape to help me out._

_ And-_

"You know, I seriously underestimated you," Zack said, readying his sword again. "I thought all the things I've heard about you were just tall tales, but it looks like they're true."

Xehanort didn't bother with a response.

Hearing the bullets coming his way, Zack quickly turned to block them. He braced himself for the blow that Xehanort was bound to deal, but it didn't come. Xehanort had apparently turned his attention back to Cloud.

_Xehanort's a lot stronger than I expected him to be,_ Zack thought.

_It's going to take a lot of effort to keep distracting him._

_ Especially with Braig shooting at me the moment I have Xehanort distracted…_

He angrily threw a Thundara at Xehanort, and then another Firaga in Braig's direction.

_I need to get Cloud out of here._

_ So I just… pick him up and run and hope that they don't try too hard to stop me?_

It was the best alternative to fighting that he had. Well… it was really the only one.

He looked between Xehanort and Braig, and then bolted over to Cloud. "C'mon," he muttered, picking Cloud up and throwing him over his shoulder. He started towards the nearest exit out of the area.

He could hear Xehanort yelling at Braig behind him, and then Braig started yelling at him. Zack ignored Braig's shouts, and then the bullets when they came. He kept moving.

More shouting. More bullets.

Cloud groaned.

More bullets.

Then something cold hit him in the back – probably some form of Blizzard magic. It didn't seem to have done much.

Zack kept moving.

Even more bullets.

They were nearly there.

This would be easier if Cloud would stop squirming.

Then Zack was hit with lightning – some strong form of Thunder magic, most likely a Thundaga, and given the way it burned it was probably Dark Thundaga. Zack fell, dropping Cloud as he did so.

He gritted his teeth and waited for the pain to fade.

It didn't.

He pushed himself up with some difficulty and quickly located Cloud. Cloud seemed to be in pain, too, but it actually looked like less pain than he had been in earlier.

"Cloud, run," he hissed.

Cloud stared at him.

"Get out of here! I'll keep them busy."

"Zack-"

"_Go!_"

Cloud nodded, scrambled to his feet, ran, stumbled, and then collapsed. After a second, he pushed himself back up and just started dragging himself along the ground, not wanting to risk running again.

Zack cast another Cure on himself. He felt a rush of energy surge through him, restoring his strength, but the pain didn't lessen at all. He ignored that and pulled himself to his feet, also ignoring his aching muscles as they cried out in protest.

_Just the Dark Thundaga,_ he told himself. _Fight through it. It'll wear off eventually._

He looked between Xehanort and Braig, debating which one he should attack fist. Xehanort was the more deadly foe; however, Braig was the one that was harder to catch. And, really, it was Xehanort he needed to be distracting so that Cloud could get away.

He ran at Xehanort and struck. Xehanort blocked, but Zack managed to land a hit with his next attack. Xehanort retaliated with a long chain of attacks that Zack did his best to block. He was doing fairly well, only to have a bullet hit him in the back and break his concentration. His sword lowered slightly, allowing room for Xehanort to deal a rather nasty blow.

Despite the amount of pain he was in right now, Zack dealt an equally nasty blow to Xehanort in return.

Xehanort didn't look fazed.

Zack backed up and tried another Cure, though it seemed to do even less than the last one had. He reached into his pockets for a hi-potion, but he was showered with bullets before he even had the chance.

"Would you _quit that!_" he shouted, rushing at Braig.

"Uh-oh!" Braig said, teleporting away again.

Zack spun around, spotted Braig again, and threw a Blizaga at him. While Braig was reeling, he ran over and quickly landed a couple of blows. Braig teleported away again and started firing more bullets. Zack did his best do avoid them all and headed towards Xehanort again.

Xehanort dodged out of the way of Zack's first attack. Zack threw a Thundara at him in hopes to at least stagger him a bit, which seemed to work. He attacked with his sword, managing to land quite a few blows before Xehanort threw him back. He skidded across the ground.

Zack lay there a second, and then focused his energy into casting Curaga. His vision blurred, and he quickly dropped the spell. He didn't have enough energy for much more magic. He pushed himself up and reached into his pockets for an elixir.

He found three potions.

_Dangit! I didn't restock earlier!_

He grimaced and pulled a potion out, figuring he could at least ward off the pain with it until this fight was over.

_Maybe I should go back to dragging Cloud out of here, _he thought, raising the potion to his mouth.

It shattered in his hand.

He glared over at Braig, who was grinning. He waited out a round or two of bullets, and then downed a potion while Braig was reloading.

Zack blocked the next round of bullets that came his way, and was glad to see that most of them actually bounced back and stunned Braig. He ran at Braig and attacked. Braig only took a few hits before quickly teleporting away. When he appeared again, he looked rather disgruntled.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" he called over at Xehanort.

Xehanort replied with something that Zack couldn't quite hear.

"If you don't want to fight, you could always leave," Zack suggested.

Braig laughed. "As if!"

Zack shrugged, deflected the next round of bullets that were sent his way, and attacked Xehanort while Braig was stunned. He actually managed to land two hits this time, instead of just the usual one. The flurry of strikes that Xehanort responded with was much more fierce this time, though. Zack blocked frantically, though he knew that any second now Xehanort would break through his defenses just like always. Hearing Braig let off a round of bullets, Zack quickly cast Reflect, which thankfully protected him both from the bullets and Xehanort's attack, though the latter sent him skidding backwards a few feet.

He shook his head, hoping to clear his blurring vision. He had thought that he would've been okay to cast a simpler spell like that, but apparently not. He cast a glance over in Cloud's direction, making sure that Cloud was still dragging himself away. He was.

Zack took a breath then ran at Xehanort again. Xehanort blocked his first attack, per usual, but the second one hit. Zack blocked the first of Xehanort's strikes, slipped, and didn't manage to block the second. Before Xehanort could strike again, he rolled out of the way. He quickly brought up his sword to block Xehanort's next attack, and then rolled again, dodging a torrent of bullets as he did so. Zack hurried to his feet, staggered slightly, and then shouted:

"Stop! Everybody stop!"

He glanced between Xehanort and Braig. Xehanort didn't look happy. Braig looked amused. Zack lowered his sword.

"Why are we fighting?"

"You're in my way," Xehanort replied coldly.

"Of what?" Zack asked. "Messing with Cloud? What do you need Cloud for?"

"I don't think that's any of your business!" Braig called.

"Of course it is! He's my friend! Besides, what if I wanted to make a bargain with you?"

"You look more like a fighter than a negotiator," Braig laughed.

Zack grimaced. There really was no denying that. But, there was no harm trying.

"What if you take me, instead, and let Cloud go?"

Xehanort glared. "Touching offer, but I have no use for you." He summoned a ball of darkness to him and chucked it at Zack. Zack quickly brought up his sword, and blocked the brunt of it, but it still ended up knocking him off his feet and sending him to the ground.

Given the way his head was throbbing, he must've hit pretty hard.

Zack kept his eyes shut, waiting until the pain died down some.

He slowly turned his head to the side, opening his eyes, and was surprised to find Cloud next to him.

"Hey Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't have any potions, do you?"

Cloud shook his head.

"Ethers?"

Again, Cloud shook his head.

Zack made a face. "You didn't restock, either?"

"We didn't stop in the market."

"We didn't?"

Cloud shook his head yet again. "You were too eager to see Aerith."

"Of course I was." Zack sighed. "Right, next time we stop here, or anywhere, make sure that our first stop is a market, got it?"

"Got it."

Zack let out a long breath.

"You know what we're going to do, Cloud?" he asked.

"What?"

"I'm going to get up and distract them. You know what you're going to do?"

"Run?"

"You think you can do that?"

"Yeah."

"Then run. I'll be behind you."

Cloud nodded.

Zack took another deep breath and then leapt to his feet, sword bared. He rushed forward, Landing a good two blows on Xehanort before he backed away. Quite a few bullets hit him, but he did his best to ignore them. He only had to buy Cloud a bit more time—

Cloud suddenly screamed. Zack turned just in time to see him fall to the ground. He looked a bit bloody; he had probably been hit with a couple bullets to prevent him from running.

"Cloud!" Zack quickly dug his last potion out of his pocket. He prepared to toss it to Cloud, but Cloud stopped him.

"Don't, you need that more than I do!"

Zack frowned, but went ahead and drank the potion now before Braig started shooting again. The throbbing in his head stopped immediately. He took a few more breaths to prepare himself to fight again.

A raindrop hit him.

"Oh sure, it starts raining _now_," Braig said, casting a glare up at the sky.

Zack laughed slightly.

_"Is that what I think it is?"_

_ Aerith ran over to the window and pressed her nose to the glass, watching the rain as it poured from the sky. After a moment she threw the door open and ran outside._

Zack shook the memory from his head, telling himself to focus. Focusing became a lot easier after a bullet or two hit him. He quickly brought up his sword to block the rest of the bullets that came his way.

"How you doing, Cloud?" he called.

"Alright!"

He didn't have to look at Cloud to know that Cloud wasn't actually alright. However—

"Do you think you can run?"

"I- ah!" Whatever Cloud had planned to say was stifled by a cry of pain. Zack threw a glance his direction, then turned to Xehanort. Xehanort's attention was fixed firmly on Cloud.

"Leave him alone!" Zack screamed, throwing himself in front of Cloud. Xehanort glared, and whatever amusement he had had before was gone. His eyes were completely cold, his expression entirely cruel.

"Stay _out_ of this!"

Something wrenched in Zack's heart again, blurring first his vision then his thoughts.

_"Are you crazy?" he laughed, watching her as she danced and spun around like a child in the rain._

_ She paused and turned to look at him, grinning. "I love the rain!" she exclaimed, and twirled once. "It's so… happy! Like... like all my troubles are being washed away!" She laughed and grabbed him by the hands, forcing him to spin with her—_

Pain brought him back into focus. He couldn't tell what he had been hit by; all he knew was that it hurt a lot. He was on his knees, and knew for certain that he shouldn't stay there long. He took a few breaths to calm himself before pushing himself up, slipping slightly because of the wet ground.

"Cloud?" It came out as more of a cough than a yell. Zack grimaced, tasting blood.

_Damn…_ he thought.

_Out of potions, nearly out of magic—_

"Can we get out of here, Cloud?"

"I'm… _trying_—Zack!"

_I really should just go back to picking him up and running._

_ If I can even pick him up…_

_ Or run…_

He gathered up his strength and tried to cast Cure. The spell caught half-way through, so Zack abandoned it and cast Fira in Braig's direction instead. The spell and a lot of his energy left him, and he sunk to his knees. His thoughts were blurring again.

_"Don't you love the rain?" Aerith asked._

_ He shrugged._

_ "Sure, I guess."_

_ She made a face, not looking like she believed him one bit. "Zack…" she said, slowly._

_ He just shrugged again. "What?"_

_ She sighed and shook her head. Before she could do anything else, he twirled her around. She laughed in shock, and then stumbled, falling against his chest. He held her there, and kissed the top of her head._

_ "I love you," he whispered. "And so if you love the rain, I guess I do, too."_

One bullet hit him.

"_Oh Zack…_"

Another bullet hit him.

"_Aren't we going to get drenched if we stay out here much longer?_"

Another bullet.

"_It hasn't even really started raining yet!_"

Cloud screamed, though it was less in pain and more in alarm. Zack turned to find Cloud frozen; paralyzed. He turned to Xehanort immediately, and found that Xehanort had his hand outstretched, like he was holding Cloud there by some invisible force.

"Cut it out!" Zack shouted, stumbling to his feet. He struck Xehanort on the arm, breaking whatever hold he had on Cloud. Zack grinned slightly, and prepared himself for the flurry of strikes Xehanort was about to send his way.

They didn't come.

Instead, Xehanort retaliated with a dark attack that sent Zack flying.

Zack cried out in pain.

And then—

Silence.

Cloud looked up, wondering why the fighting had stopped.

His eyes widened in horror at the scene before him. "Zack!" he cried, hands gripping the hilt of his own sword. He stumbled to his feet, still not having quite caught his breath yet, and charged at Xehanort, sword ready to strike.

Xehanort blocked him and knocked him aside with ease.

"Too weak," he scoffed. He turned to Braig and sighed. "This wasn't worth it after all. Let's go."

"What about him?" Braig asked, nodding over at Zack.

Xehanort looked at Zack, who had yet to move, and shrugged. "Do whatever you like with him," he said with a wave of his hand, before walking off.

Braig laughed, reloading his guns and making his way over to Zack. He aimed his gun, grinned, and then fired.

Zack screamed.

"No!" Cloud staggered to his feet again and picked up his blade. Braig was already gone. Cloud scanned the area frantically, but it wasn't any use.

"Aw man!" Zack groaned. "What lousy luck! I never expected _this_ to happen!"

"Cure!" Cloud said, directing the spell in Zack's direction. His wounds glowed with the magic for a moment, before it died down. It didn't appear to have done any good. Cloud grimaced.

Then he smiled as he got an idea. He started off at a dead run—

"Cloud," Zack called.

He stopped, turning back to Zack. "Just hang in there, I'll go get Aerith! She'll be able to—"

"Cloud, don't-" Zack coughed. "Don't bother. It's too far. I… I don't think I'm going to last _that_ long."

There were traces of a smile on his face, and a hint of laughter in his voice.

Cloud stared. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could Zack say that? Even if there wasn't enough time for Aerith to heal him, surely he'd want to see her. Or—

He gasped slightly, finally taking notice of the finer details of the scene that lay before him. Zack was not only lying on the ground, too weak to move, but his breath seemed to be coming short to him. He was covered – _drenched_, really – in blood, and a large pool of blood was forming beneath him. The pool of blood was mixed with darkness; a side effect of one of Xehanort's attacks.

Cloud swallowed.

There really _wasn't_ enough time.

"It could've been worse!" Zack said, trying to laugh, not that he managed more than coughing. "I could've… fallen off a cliff, or… had something hit me in the head, or- or been eaten by sharks. I- At least… at least I went out fighting."

Cloud couldn't help but smile, though something inside of him was screaming in denial, not wanting this to be happening—

He slowly made his way to Zack's side and knelt down.

Zack was grinning.

"Here, Cloud," he gasped. He lifted up his sword and forced the hilt into Cloud's hands. "Take it."

"What?" Cloud asked, confused. "Why?"

"It's too good a sword to waste!" Zack replied, his grin widening. "Besides, I saw that look you were giving it the other day. You wanted one just like this."

"Zack- I... I couldn't-"

"Sure you can!" Zack laughed, before Cloud had the chance to finish. "Not like I'm going to need it now!"

"But Zack, I-"

Zack wouldn't hear it.

"Cloud, you're being ridiculous!" he said, his grin falling into annoyance. "Just take the sword!"

Cloud sighed, and took the hilt of the sword.

Zack smiled. "That wasn't too hard-" he coughed "Now- now was it?" He coughed again, and then let out a long raspy breath.

Cloud squeezed his eyes shut. The denial in him wanted desperately to break out—

_This couldn't be happening._

"I- I always wanted to become a hero, you know that, Cloud?" Zack whispered.

Cloud opened his eyes, smiled sadly at Zack, and nodded. He'd heard this many times before. But he let Zack continue. He wasn't going to stop him, not if it was going to be the last time he ever heard Zack say it.

That thought hurt to think about.

"Yeah…" Zack sighed. "That was my… greatest dream." He was struggling to get the words out. "I dreamt- dreamt to be a-" He coughed. "A hero."

A raindrop hit him in the eye.

He shuddered.

"You- you think I'm a hero… Cloud?"

"Of course, Zack." Cloud swallowed. "I think you're the greatest hero ever."

Zack grinned.

"That's- that's good…" he whispered, and slowly closed his eyes.

Cloud grimaced and turned away. This was it. Zack was—

"Oh!" Zack exclaimed suddenly, opening his eyes wide in shock. "I can't believe I forgot! Can you do me a favor? Tell Aerith… that I'm sorry, and that I love her."

"Sure thing," Cloud replied.

"Thanks," Zack breathed, closing his eyes again.

There was a smile on his face.

Cloud slowly rose to his feet, struggling to lift Zack's sword. He glanced down at Zack, and then started off, slowly. He felt… numb. Zack was—

Zack was gone.

And how would he explain to—

"Zack!" Aerith called, rather suddenly, breaking his thought process. She sounded absolutely horrified. Cloud turned to her, and swallowed a time or two.

How was he going to explain this to Aerith?

He didn't even have a chance to open his mouth. She was already rushing to Zack's side, kneeling down next to him, not seeming to care one bit about the blood.

"Aerith…" Cloud began, slowly, his voice quiet. "I-I'm sorry. He's-"

"Aerith?" Zack asked, his voice a bit choked. He struggled slightly to open his eyes, and then, despite his injuries, despite the position he was currently in, he broke into a grin. "Aerith!" he exclaimed, laughing with his excitement. "I- I didn't think I was going to get to s-see you!"

She did her best to smile back at him, and then placed her hands on his chest.

"Cure," she breathed.

The magic flowed from her fingertips to his wounds, and his wounds glowed slightly with the energy. The spell didn't do much, though. The wounds were festering with darkness, and the darkness was canceling her magic out. She grimaced upon noticing this.

"Cure," she said again, focusing her energy, wishing the darkness gone. Some if it actually listened to her, but a lot remained. And what remained canceled the Cure out again.

"No," she gasped, voice catching. "No!" frantic now, she commanded: "Cure!"

Again, it took no effect.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to come.

"Aerith," Zack whispered. "Don't- don't bother, it's-"

She didn't listen.

"Cure!" she cried again, though it came out more like a strangled sob.

"Aerith," Zack said again, calmly. "It's too late. Don't worry… about it."

"N-no!" she gasped. "It_ can't_ be too late! I can't let you-"

Zack reached out and pulled her close to him, so that her head was resting on his chest. He held her there for a moment, before he lost the strength to support his arm and it fell limply back to his side.

"Zack, please!" Aerith sobbed. "I- I don't want you to-"

He laughed, though it came out rather strangled and turned into a fit of coughing.

"I went out fighting!" he told her when the coughing died down. His voice was proud, and he was grinning. "Like a true hero!"

"Oh Zack…" Aerith laughed, though her heart wasn't really into it. She slowly wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. "You will… you'll always be my hero…" she whispered.

His breath was starting to get shallow now, his second wind having run its course, his body ready to give up. Very, very slowly, he closed his eyes. There was still a smile on his face; a smile that slowly became a grin.

"I love you," he breathed.

"I love you, too," she replied shakily. "I love you… more than- more than anything."

He didn't say any more.

She stayed there, having lost the will to move, wanting to hang onto him, not willing to let him go. So she didn't move, left her arms around him, left her head resting on his chest. And ever so slowly, though it seemed like it was happening far too fast for her, the life faded from him.

She felt his heart stop beating, felt the gentle rise and fall of his chest come to a halt as he breathed his last.

And after of stunned silence and not wanting to accept the truth just yet, even though she wouldn't be able to ignore it much longer, she screamed.

She screamed at the top of her lungs.

She screamed into the open air.

Cloud winced and turned away.

He could hear, in her scream, every ounce of pain and sorrow that she was feeling right now.

He could hear, reflected in her scream, every ounce of pain that he was feeling.

And, finally, her scream broke off into sobs.

_This is… my fault…_ Cloud thought slowly.

_None of this would've happened if I had never gotten involved in the darkness…_

_ Xehanort wouldn't have come after me, and—_

_ Zack…_

_ Aerith…_

_ I'm sorry…_

* * *

><p>actually, that's not it. If you really want the full effect of this scene, go look up "Hurt" by Thomas Bergersen and let it play while reading from when Aerith shows up on<p>

If you want a music suggestion for the rest of this scene... ah... either "Price of Freedom" from Crisis Core or "Could've Been" by Two Steps from Hell. They'll give you the same basic effect. You might have to listen to both, given how long the scene is... idk...


	27. Questions pt1

this is the first installment of the question thing. The second installment (the one with Sora and Shad) will be up as soon as I finish it (and possibly after I post a chapter to Dead Inside)

Oh, and sorry it's so long. I'd blame Midnight, but it was nearly 3000 words before she showed up.

* * *

><p>I took a quick glance around the room to make sure everyone was here. Namine and Riku were on the other side of the couch. Joseph and Toby were running around the room. 29 sat in a lounge chair. 19 sat in a rocking chair… though… I don't know why he's here… I didn't think I needed him. Ah well. Alpha was sitting in an armchair, and paying more attention to his book than anything else. That was okay, I think there's only one question for him… Tifa, Kairi, and Aerith sat at the table, where Edd also sat. He looked like he was trying to ignore everything. I frowned at Tifa. There weren't any questions for her…<p>

Well, that appeared to be everyone. I suppose if I was missing someone, I could just summon them here.

Speaking of summoning…

I slowly reached out and concentrated for a second. A bowl of ice cream appeared in my hand. "Huh…" I mused. "Guess I can still do that…" I frowned. "Anyone want ice cream?" I called.

"Where'd the ice cream come from?" Namine asked.

"I summoned it to me."

Riku stared at me in shock. "You can summon ice cream to you?"

I shrugged.

"Why are you giving it away?" Joseph asked, pausing in front of me.

"I don't want it."

He seemed confused. "Why did you summon it if you didn't want it?"

I shrugged again. "I wanted to see if I could still summon it."

He frowned. "Wait… why don't you want ice cream!?" He seemed genuinely worried.

"I haven't eaten ice cream since… well… forever ago," I explained. "Can we not get into this right now, though? We have more important things to be doing."

Joseph nodded. "Hey 29!? Can I have ice cream?"

"Are you going to give Toby some?"

Joseph turned back to me. "Any chance you can summon another spoon?"

I laughed. "Here, this'll be easier." I summoned another bowl of ice cream and handed it to him.

"Do you have an unlimited supply of that?"

"For you, yeah. If _I_ want some…" I trailed off.

Joseph frowned, obviously not following. I sighed and shook my head. It wasn't worth trying to explain to him that if I actually wanted ice cream, I had to go get some from my freezer, and that only the things _inside_ of my brain came in an unlimited supply.

Anyway.

I reached down and picked up one of two hats off the floor. It contained strips of paper on which I had written all of the questions. I figured pulling them out of a hat would be more entertaining than just reading them from a list or something.

"What's that?" Riku asked.

"The questions you guys will be answering," I replied.

Joseph looked up from where he had settled with his ice cream on the floor. "Our questions are in a hat?"

I nodded.

"We should pass the hat around the room, and have everyone pull a question out and then read it!"

Oh dear.

"Pleeaaasseeeeeeeee-"

"Okay fine!"

Joseph grinned.

I sighed.

"This'll be interesting…" 29 said.

"Definitely," I agreed, thinking over a couple of questions that I might have planned on elaborating/rewording when I read them. There was no way I was doing _that_ now. Oh well, I just had to hope that Riku wasn't the one to pull out a certain question...

"Let's get this thing started!" I reached into the hat and pulled out the first question. "Oh hey, Joseph, it's for you!"

"Really?" he asked around a mouthful of ice cream. "Who's it from?"

"KKBeckett. She wants to know if you secretly wish that you had a power like Toby, or if you're just fine just not having to mess with it."

Joseph was silent for a moment. It looked less like he was thinking and more like his mouth was too full of ice cream. "Uhm," he said finally. "It certainly be cool if I had a power like Toby, but I don't mind not having to mess with it." He looked over at 29. "I would still like to learn how to fight, though."

"Find someone who's willing to teach you, and then we'll talk."

Joseph pouted for a second, and then turned to me. "Hey, rar, can I pick the next question!?"

I shrugged and handed him the hat. He took it and pulled out a scrap of paper.

"'To Cloud'" he began.

I smacked my forehead.

I knew I was forgetting someone.

"One sec," I interrupted. "Tifa!"

"Yes?"

"It's not going to hurt the story if you and Cloud are in the same room, right?"

"I don't see why it would."

"Right." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Cloud's number. It rang for quite some time. "Dangit! Tifa! He's not answering!"

Tifa laughed. "And you expected him to?"

"Well, I-" I sighed. "Trying to be polite and not just _drag_ him here, but okay."

I concentrated for a second, and then Cloud appeared in the center of the room – awfully close to Toby, too. If he had been any closer to Toby, he would've been standing on him. Cloud still had his sword out; apparently he was in the middle of a battle or something.

Whoops.

Hope it wasn't important.

Cloud glanced around, looking a bit confused, before turning to me.

He didn't actually ask me anything, but I went ahead and answered what he probably _would_ ask:

"You have a question you need to answer," I told him.

He made a face, but put his sword away.

Toby hesitantly looked up at Cloud, looking a bit scared. Poor kid.

"Do you expect me to stand?" Cloud asked.

I nodded over at an empty armchair that hadn't been there ten seconds ago. Cloud went ahead and sat down in it, though he sat at the _very_ edge of it.

Toby slowly went back to his ice cream.

"What's the question?"

I turned to Joseph.

He cleared his throat. "Okay, it's from KKBeckett. She asks: 'Sephiroth's gone, is he not?'"

Cloud grunted a yes.

"Then she wants to know 'why you're trying so hard to keep people away from you when there's nothing to be running from'."

Silence.

Tifa stifled a laugh.

"Tifa," Aerith said. "There's no need to tease Cloud."

I could tell from her voice that she was holding back laughter too.

I was tempted to laugh myself.

"This is an awkward question, huh?" Joseph asked.

Silence.

"I don't think Cloud wants to answer this question," Namine said.

Silence.

"Cloud," I sighed. "You have to answer the question."

"I can answer it for him!"

"I've got it, Tifa."

Tifa didn't look convinced.

Cloud sighed.

"I just… I want to be alone."

Tifa snorted. "Yeah, sure."

"Then what would you say?"

"Me?" Tifa raised her eyebrows and pretended to be surprised. "Well… I'd say that you just have been running for so long that you haven't quite figured out how to stop yet." She turned to Aerith. "What would you say?"

Aerith shook her head.

"We should move on!" I interrupted. "Joseph, pass the hat to someone else."

Joseph passed it to Toby. Toby pulled a question out, looked at it, and then handed it to Joseph to read.

Oh dear.

I recognized that paper.

"It says it's to Riku or Namine or Rar or all three of you," Joseph said.

Yup.

"Joseph, hand me that!" I said, reaching for it.

"Why?" he asked. Given the smile on his face, I think he knew why.

"Just, give it!"

"But I wanna read it!"

I glared, and then made the paper disappear from his hand and appear in mine.

"Hey!"

"My brain, my rules." I unfolded the paper and looked at it, even though I already knew which question it was. I bit my tongue. How to censor this? Or should I just read it aloud… I could always just read the first part of the question and leave it at that. I didn't have to specify that it was—

Dangit, Joseph already said that it was to Namine or Riku.

Right…

"Are you going to read the question or not?" 19 asked.

"Gimme a second, I'm debating that!"

Well, now everyone wants to know what the question is.

Hmm…

Hum-de-hum-de-hmm.

Welp.

"Alright, the question's from Cookie. He admits that it's really weird, but he asks: 'Do Replicas, y'know… get sexual thoughts?'"

Silence.

"He also says that he really can't believe that he asked that."

"And he-"

"Shut up Joseph."

More silence.

"Anyone want to comment, or shall I just go ahead and answer it?"

Even more silence.

"Right," I said. "Basically, yes. Are we going to go into details? No. Sorry. I suppose if you _really_ want details, Cookie, PM me. Now, next que-"

"Wait a minute," Namine said. "Why was that question addressed to us?"

Darn.

I was hoping they wouldn't remember.

"That paper was also very large for only having that little question on there," Riku added. "What else did he ask?"

"Nothing important."

Riku wasn't convinced.

"Joseph?"

Joseph stared at Riku, glanced at me, glanced back at Riku, then smiled apologetically. "Sorry Riku, I'm a bit more scared of Rar."

Was that a good thing?

"Why?" Riku asked.

"Well, she's the author, and can kill me whenever she wants. So…"

"I can just kill you now."

"No you won't," I said.

Joseph grinned. "My point exactly."

"Can we move on to the next question now?"

"No, I would still like to know why that question was addressed to us." Namine didn't look incredibly happy.

"Details I'd rather not get into," I told her lamely.

She glared.

I shrugged. "Sorry, I'd like to avoid Riku getting all… GRRAAAGVVDBH."

"I'll get all what?"

"GRRUUVVDFHDSFBHH," I sort of repeated.

The look on Riku's face suggested that he thought I was insane.

"Excuse me?"

"There's no word in the English language that properly describes your emotional… whatever it is," I explained. "So I resort to button mashing and making strange noises. Now, NEXT QUESTION!"

"Who wants to pull it out of the hat?" Joseph asked.

"I will," Namine said, maybe a bit quickly. She took the hat from Joseph, rummaged around for a bit, and then pulled out a question. She frowned at it. "This says it's to Sora."

I grimaced. "Whoops." I reached out to take it from her, and then put it in the hat with Sora's questions "Go ahead and pull out another one."

Namine went ahead and did so. "Oh, grabbed two…" She turned to Riku and held out the two papers. "Pick one."

He pointed at one. She discarded the other one and then unfolded the question that Riku had picked.

"Oh hey, this one's for me!" she laughed. "KKBeckett asks: 'What would you do if you were to meet the other Namine? Would you just take it in stride since you don't know the whole story about her?'" Namine frowned. "What does she mean by that?"

I shook my head.

Namine glanced at Riku.

The look on his face was surprisingly calm considering the amount of panic I felt radiating off of him.

"It just hasn't been covered in story yet, kay?" I said. "Don't worry about it."

That was apparently enough for Namine. She read the question over again, and then shrugged. "I suppose I'd just take it in stride. Things might be different though after I find out what the rest of the story is."

Riku was panicking again.

"If you find out," I said kindly.

"_When,_" Namine corrected firmly.

I blinked.

"Yeah, when."

Namine smiled, obviously pleased.

I did my best not to roll my eyes. Namine insisting wasn't really going to change matters. I don't care how insistent she is, whether or not she finds out depends on whether or not Riku works up the nerve to tell her.

If only I could tell Riku that…

"Here, Riku, you pick a question."

Riku went ahead and drew a question from the hat.

"And look, it's for me," he said. His amusement quickly became panic again as he read over it.

Well…. Poo…

"What's it say?" I asked

He handed it to me. I read over it, and couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not funny!" he protested.

I shook my head. "No, it's _perfect_."

"What's it say!?" Joseph asked.

"You want to-" I paused. I was going to ask Riku if he wanted to read the question, but if I handed the paper back to him he might destroy it. So… "KKBeckett wants to know why Riku's still keeping things from Namine." It was hard not to smile as I said that.

Poor Riku.

Namine turned to Riku, looking rather concerned. "You're keeping things from me?"

"I- well-" He was silent for a minute, then said in a very dejected voice: "I don't want to talk about it."

"Any particular reason why?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Namine was silent for a moment, probably considering how to best respond to this. Finally, she said: "Alright. You don't have to talk if you don't want to."

"If I ever do want to, you'll be the one I talk to."

I shifted slightly.

Well, KKBeckett, I hope that answered your question.

"Who picks a question next?" Riku asked.

Our eyes drifted over to Alpha, who was next in the circle we were apparently going around in, but who was also to busy reading a book…

"Joseph, go give the hat to Tifa," I said.

Joseph saluted and did so.

"Alright…" Tifa shook the hat up a bit and then pulled a question out. She frowned at it. "I can't understand your shorthand, Rar," she said after a moment. "Should I have Joseph run the question over to you?"

"Nah, just pick another question."

She nodded, dropped the question back in the hat, and then pulled another out. "It says it's to Axel."

Dangit!

"One sec, I'll get him," I sighed.

It took only a second of concentration before Axel appeared and promptly landed on the floor. Whatever he had been doing, he hadn't been standing.

"What the-" He quickly pushed himself up. "What am I doing here?"

"I have questions for you."

His eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, right, that stupid question thing you're doing." He didn't sound very thrilled. "By the way, I know of quite a few people who are complaining about not being invited."

"There are plenty of reasons why they weren't," I replied.

Axel glanced around the room.

"Can I sit?"

I pointed at the swivel chair that appeared on the other side of Alpha. Axel plopped down in it, causing it to roll backwards a foot or so. He smiled slightly and leaned back, twisting the chair ever-so-slightly from side to side.

"So… question?"

"Uhm," Tifa said, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

Axel turned the chair so he was facing her, his eyebrows raised skeptically. "Are you asking it?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"It was my turn. We're passing around the hat with the questions."

"Why?"

"It was his idea!" She nodded over at Joseph.

Joseph grinned.

Axel rolled his eyes.

"Get on with it, then."

Tifa cleared her throat. "Well, it's from Peach. They ask: 'how do you feel about knowing that your DNA is responsible for Toby? Do you feel like he's your child?'"

Axel made a face. "To the first part of that; I'm mainly upset that Vexen even got a hold of enough of my data to manage to create him. To the second part of the question-" He snorted. "No. Not in the slightest."

"That's not very nice!" Joseph said. "How do you think Toby feels about that?"

Axel turned his chair in that direction.

"I don't care," Toby said. "Really."

"See, he doesn't care!"

Joseph shook his head.

"Was that it?" Axel asked, turning to me.

"I think you have another question," I told him.

He shrugged and put his hands behind his head. "Kay, whatever."

"You want to read the next question?" Tifa asked.

Axel shrugged and held his hand out for the hat. He took it, made a big deal about shaking it up, and then slowly drew a question out. "'To 29 from Peach'," he read. "'Is Joseph a handful?'"

"Yes," 29 said simply.

"I don't try to be," Joseph said in an extremely innocent voice.

Axel snorted again. "Yeah, sure. Who's reading a question next?"

"I think I'm next," Aerith said, reaching for the hat. Axel handed it to her. She pulled a question out. "This one's to Alpha. And there's like… three questions on here."

I shrugged.

"Hey Alpha!"

"One sec," he said. We waited more than "one sec" before he finally put the book down. "Yeah?"

"KKBeckett asks 'Why are you so paranoid?' Along with two other questions."

"I'm not paranoid," Alpha replied, looking over the top of his glasses at Aerith. "I am just very protective of what little data we have left, and people are defecting to Saix's side left and right these days…"

"Don't get snippy with me! It's not my question," Aerith said. She glared at him for a moment before reading the next question. "'Is there anyone that you trust?'"

"I gave up on trust."

Aerith frowned. "Why's that?"

"You have three of your closest friends stab you in the back and _then_ you tell me how you feel about trust."

Aerith didn't quite know how to respond to that.

And, frankly, neither did I.

Apparently, I'd have to explore Alpha's past a bit more…

(I'm actually oddly excited…)

"Okay, last question," Aerith said, slowly. "'Does Vexen drive you crazy?'"

"Yes."

"Do you want to read the next question?"

Alpha promptly opened his book again. Aerith shrugged and handed the hat to Kairi.

Kairi hesitated a moment before pulling out a question. "To… Mr. Shopkeeper. Is that the nice guy from Agrabah?"

"Yes."

We all turned to look at the shopkeeper, who had spent most of this time standing to the side of the room (we are in a room, and not just some endless space, right?) and who had gone completely unnoticed. I felt kind of bad now for not mentioning him.

"Oh," Kairi's mood lightened significantly. "Well, you have a question from KKBeckett. She wants to know if you'll be making another appearance, and she also thinks that you're a pretty cool character."

"Well… I suppose whether or not I make another appearance depends on Miss Rar," he said, nodding over at me. "And… I'm flattered that she thinks I'm, uh, 'cool'. May I go now?" He turned to me again.

I smiled. "You're free, yeah. Thanks for staying as long as you did."

"It was nothing," he assured me, and was gone.

"He seemed awfully nervous," Kairi said slowly. "I feel bad."

"New character? You all probably just freaked him out."

I turned to see who had spoken, and very quickly scrambled backward, only to fall and nearly land in Namine's lap. The person who had spoken had appeared suddenly on the arm of the couch right next to me, and she was still sitting there, grinning at me.

I closed my eyes, counted to ten, and then opened them again.

She was still there.

"Midnight…" I said slowly, kindly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, after you took that trip down memory lane the other day, the borders between your fic world and your not-a-fic world have been thinning. I'm actually surprised that I'm the only one who bothered to come see you—oh wait." She laughed. "Everyone else hate you, that's right."

I stared.

I did follow that train of thought.

But… it still did not move me past the shock of seeing Midnight again. ("Seeing" being a relative term, as, technically, I have never seen Midnight except what little imagining of her that I did inside my own head.)

Midnight still looked like exactly as I had written her to be; black hair, dark blue eyes, wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black vest with more pockets than should have been possible. But why was she _here_?

"I just told you why I was here," she said plainly.

That's right, I forgot that all my _non_ fanfic charries could read my mind. Or, at least, the major ones could…

"Who are you?" Joseph asked.

Midnight turned to him, grinning. "Midnight," she said. "I'm a darkwitch, and the main character of one of the… forty some odd stories that she'll-" she nodded at me, "-never actually write."

"And the rest of the characters hate her?" Riku asked.

"Well, there's only twenty or so of us who were actually developed enough to do anything more than fade once she stopped focusing on us."

Ouch.

The inside of my head is a very sad place, apparently.

"How many of you are there, total?" Kairi asked.

Midnight was silent for a moment as she did some calculations. "60 or so. I don't remember exactly."

"And why do they hate her?" Namine asked.

"I scrapped them," I said quietly. "I had to. There was no way I could reasonably write 40 or so stories that had absolutely no plot."

"And you don't hate her?" Joseph asked – the question was directed at Midnight.

"Of course not! I'm not Dari!" Midnight's grin quickly fell. "Shoot…"

"I put you in charge of making sure she didn't come kill me?" I asked.

"Yup." Midnight pulled something out of one of her vest pockets. I'm pretty sure it was a phone, though it looked more like a DS than a phone. After entering something on the keypad she held it up to her ear. "Hey, Tom? You couldn't possibly keep an eye on Dari, could you?"

I groaned. "You expect Tom to do something?"

Midnight shrugged and put her phone away. "It'll take Dari a while to realize that I'm not around, and Tom should be able to stop her before she does anything drastic. If not, Gwen can."

"Can we get back to the questions!?" Joseph asked. He sounded rather impatient.

"Questions?" Midnight asked.

"I had my readers ask questions for my 2-year anniversary," I explained. "We're answering them now."

"_2 years!?_" Midnight's jaw practically hit the floor. "Goodness! You never worked on _anything_ for that long! Not really, anyway."

"Hence the big celebration."

"Can I read the next question!?" Midnight asked.

"It's Cloud's turn next!" Joseph said.

"You want to read a question, Cloud?" Kairi asked.

Cloud grunted.

"That's a no," Tifa said.

"19?" Joseph asked.

"You can let… Midnight, was it?"

Midnight nodded.

"You can let Midnight read the question," 19 said.

"What about 29?"

"Just let Midnight read the question, Joseph."

Joseph sighed. "I'll get the hat."

"No need!" Midnight interrupted. She snapped her fingers and summoned the hat to her. "Hey! This is one of your fedoras! Now all we need is-"

"Pick a question Midnight," I said before she could continue.

She shrugged and pulled one out of the hat. "To… Joseph-" She glanced up. "That's _you_, right?" she asked, pointing. Joseph nodded. "Right, the question's from someone named Cookie. They ask: 'Can you find Edd-'"Midnight dropped the paper. "_Edd!?_" She turned to me, frantic. "What's he still doing in your brain!? You killed him! And why is he in your fanfic!? He's _dead_!"

Oh dear…

"Midnight," I said slowly. "He's had a change of heart."

"Yeah, and I bet _he_ told you that! You know that he's a filthy liar!"

"He's not lying…"

"Oh… don't tell me he's-"

"Midnight! Stop freaking out! If you paid attention to _anything,_ you'd-"

"But he's _evil!_"

"He's not evil," Joseph said. "I mean, I only talked to him for like, ten seconds, but he didn't _seem_ evil. He just seemed sad. And maybe a bit-"

"If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be sitting here right now," Riku said.

"Neither would I," Namine added.

"Technically, none of us would," 19 muttered.

"They're all defending him, too!" Midnight whined. "What's going on here!? _What has he done to your brain!?_"

I groaned and rubbed my head.

Any chance of this thing being short had just gone out the window.

And getting Midnight to calm down, Joseph to shut up, and then explaining everything to Midnight-

"Can we all just _shut up!?_" Edd called from his corner.

Midnight jumped about ten feet in the air and then hid behind the couch. "What is he doing here!? He should be dead! And you _banned_ him!"

"Make our lives easier and just show her the paper, Rar," Edd said.

I rolled my eyes, fished a paper out of my notebook, and handed it to Midnight.

"Aww… that's so sad…" she said after about 10 seconds. "Now I feel sorry for him… but I still hate him… I'm so conflicted…."

"Well, that problem's not going to resolve itself anytime soon," I sighed. I bent down and picked up the question Midnight dropped. "Joseph, Cookie says: 'Can you find Edd and get him to bring you to me? I want that hug.'"

Joseph grinned. "Well, Edd's right there. I'll see if I can convince him when we're done here."

"Edd, I am very, very sorry…" 29 muttered.

"Is she going to be okay?" Toby asked. He had craned his neck as if he expected to see behind the couch and actually be able to see Midnight.

"Give her a bit. This is the exact way she reacted when she found out that Anthony wasn't evil, too," I said. "She'll calm down. Let's just get back to the questions." I picked up the hat. "Joseph, I believe you read next."

He took the hat from me and pulled out a question. "Riku, Peach wants to know what you'd do if you ran into Real Thing. Would you try and make up with him? Attack him?"

Riku laughed. "I doubt I'd attack him. Unless he attacked first… Hmm…" He was silent for a moment. "I suppose I'd try and make up with him. I don't know."

Joseph handed the hat to Toby. "It's to Namine," Toby said, after pulling out a question. "Peach… uh… can someone else read it? It's got big words."

Joseph took the question. "The words aren't _that_ big!" he said, but shrugged. "I can't paraphrase this. Peach says: 'From my understanding, your meltdowns are basically a bunch of bad memories flashing through your head couple with a massive headache/migraine. Mind clarifying if I'm wrong?'"

"That's pretty much it," Namine said. "Though, there's also all the emotions _attached_ to the memories, too."

"You read next." Joseph handed her the hat.

"This one's to Toby!"

"I was asked a question?" Toby seemed slightly surprised.

"A few, if I remember correctly," I told him.

"Oh," he said.

"KKBeckett asks: 'How do you like Castle Oblivion?'"

"It's cool." Toby shrugged.

"Better than the World that Never Was?" Namine prompted.

Toby nodded.

Namine shrugged and handed the hat to Riku. He pulled out a question after a bit of rummaging around.

"Rar, this has two questions on it," he said slowly.

"One of them should have been answered already."

"Ah." He frowned. "I don't understand what the question's asking, though."

I held out my hand, and he gave me the paper. I glanced over it. "I think there's another one just like this…" I said after a moment. "I'll answer it when we pull the other one out. Go ahead and get another question."

"It's to me." He snorted. "I'm not sure if I should be offended or not by the question, though."

"What's it say?" Namine asked.

"KKBeckett asked if I'd ever 'get to a point where I'm not just going to lash out and practically kill the first thing that ticks me off'."

Joseph burst out laughing.

"I think we'd all like to know that," 29 said.

"Habit," Riku said. "It's just a nasty habit. I'm sure I'll break it eventually. Tifa reads next?"

"Axel," Namine corrected. "Toby, since Joseph's too busy laughing, can you take the hat to him?"

Toby nodded and got up to do so. Axel took the hat and pulled out what looked like the question on top. "It's to Aerith," he said, and looked over at the table. "Which one of you is Aerith?"

Aerith raised her hand slightly.

"Flightfoot wants to know if you've ever thought about the possibility of Zack being alive in the parallel universe," Axel read. "Who's Zack?"

Aerith frowned.

"Personal stuff that I don't need to be sticking my nose in, huh? Alright, whatever. It's not like I really care."

"I…" Aerith said slowly. She sighed. "I suppose I have thought about it from time to time, and it would not surprise me if he's there. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if there were a million Zacks out there in other parallel universes. But… I don't see how it affects me, really. He's not here, and that's all that really matters…"

"That's what I said!" Tifa exclaimed.

"I don't think I need to say anymore… Next question?"

Tifa took the hat from Axel and picked one. "It's to Riku! And, again, from KKBeckett."

"What now?" Riku groaned.

"'Real Thing wants you to be happy. Do you return the favor?'"

"What?"

"Do you need me to repeat it?"

"Nonono. I—Real Thing wants _what!?_"

"He wants you to be happy," I said.

Riku still looked incredibly shocked. "Are you sure we're talking about Real Thing here?"

"Yes."

"Is it a problem that he wants you to be happy?" Namine asked.

Riku shook his head. "No, it's just—I—It's not like I think he hates me or anything, but… he wants me to be _happy? _Since when has he ever cared about me?"

"I don't know, but he says 'I know that this is supposed to be his' so, yours, Riku 'second chance at life, and I think he deserves something relatively happy'."

We all turned to Midnight, who had resumed her position on the arm of the couch, and now had my laptop.

"Oh, so you're done freaking out now?" I asked.

I never got an answer, because then Riku asked:

"Real Thing _seriously_ said that about me?"

Midnight nodded.

"Then I guess… I guess I'd want him to be happy, too."

"Why do you have my laptop?" I asked.

"Reading up on your fic," Midnight replied simply.

"You read all the way to there in five minutes?"

"Well, I read your summary of the Truth Hurts, started Falling to Pieces, got bored, and so I went and read some of the crossover stuff, because it's entertaining. By the way, I like this Shad guy. He's funny."

"He's also evil," I said.

"So?" Midnight laughed. "He's like Ghirahim! He's evil, but you can't help but love him!"

"Whatever, next question!"

Aerith pulled a question out of the hat. "To anyone from KKBeckett. 'Does Vexen drive you crazy?'"

"I can answer that for everyone!" Midnight said, grinning.

"Don't," I warned.

"Yes, he drives me absolutely nuts," Riku said.

"And you wish you could strangle him," Midnight added. "Though, that might just be because-"

"SPOILERS!" I interrupted.

"Oh, yeah, forgot you have readers…" Midnight muttered.

"I don't mind him," Namine said.

"He's… a bit annoying, I'll admit," 29 said. "Practically like a child himself, at times…"

"He's alright," Joseph said.

"Vexen?" Axel asked. "Which one—oh wait, that one from the parallel universe. Right."

"You didn't know that?" 29 asked.

"I don't remember _everything_ about what goes on on your side of things."

"I get to read a question now!" Kairi said. She pulled a paper out of the hat and frowned. "I think this is another Sora question…"

"Really?" I asked. "Joseph, can you-"

"I got it!" Midnight said, and summoned the question to her and then handed it to me. I rolled my eyes and glanced over it. It was a Sora question.

"Go ahead and pick another question, Kairi," I said, dropping the Sora question in his hat.

"Oh dear…" Kairi muttered, glancing over the next question. "It's from KKBeckett, and _everyone_ has to answer it."

Oh, this question.

KKBeckett, I hope you don't want anyone who isn't in this room to answer it (like, Xigbar, his clone, 37 or people like that. I'll get Sora and Shad in a minute. But if you want anyone on Saix's side… well… I suppose I could do a question thingy just for them… I'd need questions, though).

"What's your most embarrassing moment?"

Silence.

"Who wants to go first!?" I asked.

"Well, I read it, so I'll go," Kairi said. "I guess… no… hang on. Hang on, I have to think of one. Gimme a sec." She was silent for a moment. "I'm going to go with the time when Selphie offered to pay me and Sora a freaking TON of munny if we kissed."

"How exactly is that embarrassing?" Axel asked.

"It wasn't necessarily that itself, it what happened _after_ that," Kairi replied. "Do I need to go into details? I can."

"I want to know," Axel said.

"Why didn't you do it?" Joseph asked. "You were being offered munny! And, c'mon, we all know that you want to kiss Sora."

"Questions like that, mainly," Kairi said. "Which there were a lot of, considering Selphie asked us in front of the entire school."

"That must've sucked…" Tifa said.

"Yeah."

"But why don't you wanna kiss Sora?" Joseph asked.

"He's my best friend; it'd be weird. Besides, even if I did want to kiss him, I wouldn't want to do it in front of the entire school and just because I was being paid a lot of munny."

Joseph made a face. "I guess that's a valid point… but I'm not going to stop bugging you about this!"

Kairi sighed.

"Who's next?" Joseph asked. Before anyone had a chance to answer, he said: "We should go in a circle, so that we don't miss anyone! So Cloud's next!"

"Can we go the other direction?"

"Aw, c'mon Cloud, why?" Tifa teased.

"It's fine, I'll go next," Aerith said. "Let's see… embarrassing… Well, there was this one time in the market when I tripped and dropped all of my groceries. And everyone just stared at me, and no one came to help me. Very annoying."

"I doubt that's your most embarrassing moment, Aerith," Tifa said.

"Well, if I think of a better one, I'll let you know. Your turn."

"I fell off the roof of my house once."

"What were you doing on the roof of your house?" Namine asked.

Tifa shrugged. "I don't remember. I remember the falling part, and the fact that I hit my head pretty hard, so I was slightly delusional." She shook her head. "Some of the things I said…"

"Right, so, my turn," Axel sighed. "There was this one time with a Larxene Replica tried flirting with me. Though I think that was more annoying than it was embarrassing…"

"Alpha's turn!" Joseph said.

Axel poked him.

"What!?" Alpha demanded, putting down his book.

"What was your most embarrassing moment?" Joseph asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Everyone has to answer it," Cloud said.

Alpha frowned, and then grimaced. "Of all things to come to mind first…"

I frowned, too, getting a sense of what he had just thought of. "That… that is weird…" I said. "Don't mention it until I have that further developed."

"Wasn't planning on it." He groaned. "I seriously have to answer this?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Focusing more on an illusion than what I should've been focusing on." He went back to his book.

"My turn…" Riku said slowly.

"Not _that,_" I told him, following what he was thinking of. "Technically, you don't remember that. So… something else."

"Well-"

"That has actually _happened._"

Naturally, the next three things he thought of were book 5 related.

Then, finally:

"That one girl… what was her name… Xion. I tried talking to her once, and she was like 'I hate you'."

"How is that embarrassing?" Joseph asked.

Riku made a face.

"Alright, fine. Hollow Bastion. Nearly killing Sora."

"You nearly killed Sora!?" Kairi shouted.

Riku glared over in her direction. "You try mentioning the words 'memory' and 'witch' in the same sentence and see what happens," he said.

"It was his Shadow's fault," Aerith explained to Kairi.

"Namine, your turn," Joseph said.

"I don't think I have any," she said.

"You've gotta have something!"

She shrugged. "Well, I've been thinking about it and… nothing. Nothing anywhere close to what you guys have been saying, anyway."

"Then just say a time when you've been embarrassed," Midnight told her,

Namine frowned, thinking about it. "I guess… When I first got to Castle Oblivion, and I freaked out because Riku was there."

"Toby?"

"I electrocuted Demyx once…" Toby whispered.

"Hmm…" Joseph said. "I have to think of one… I was going to say skateboarding into Thistle, but that's happened enough that it's not really embarrassing anymore. I suppose it was embarrassing the first time. But I have to have something else…" He was silent for a moment. "I walked- wait, that hasn't happened yet. Uh, I'll go with one of the times I asked Saix if he wanted ice cream."

"Midnight?" I said, turning to her.

"There was this school skating party… I started showing off, and ended up ripping my pants and blowing up a teacher."

"How did—I don't want to know."

"No, you probably don't. And, by the way, it was your turn."

I frowned.

Midnight shrugged. "They said _everyone_ had to answer."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to post my most embarrassing moment on the internet."

"Just pick an embarrassing moment," Riku suggested.

I glared at him.

"You're no help…"

He grinned.

I sighed.

"Fine. There was this one time when someone got me ranting and I ended up talking so fast that the words that came out of my mouth just stopped making sense."

"That's all you've got?" Joseph asked.

"That's all I'm willing to admit to," I replied.

"Leave her alone, Joseph," 29 said. "Now, I'd love to give you some story about my most embarrassing moment, but I don't have one."

"'Course you do!" Joseph laughed.

"I take care of you; there's nothing that can embarrass me."

Joseph got a devious look.

"Try and I'll confiscate your skateboard."

Joseph pouted.

"My turn?" 19 asked.

"Yeah," Kairi said.

"I… I'm going to go with – remember that questionnaire thing that you did, Rar? The one where I got paired with like three different people?"

"Yeah. I need to post that…"

19 nodded. "I'm going to say _that_ was my most embarrassing moment."

"Cloud's turn!" Tifa said.

"That double date Zack forced me into…" Cloud muttered.

"That was nice!" Tifa argued.

"It was embarrassing."

"That's everyone!" Joseph said. "Next-"

"What about Edd?" Midnight asked. "He hasn't answered, and _everyone_ has to."

"No," Edd said.

"Aw, but why not?"

"Every minute I ever spent with my cousin. There, happy?"

Midnight scowled. "I guess so…" She turned to me. "Can we make him go into detail?"

"His past isn't developed _that_ much," I told her.

She returned to scowling.

"Who reads next?" Kairi asked, holding the hat out.

"Cloud?"

"No."

"I can," 19 said. Kairi handed the hat to Cloud and Cloud handed the hat to him. He pulled out a question. He laughed slightly. "From KKBeckket," he said.

"Here we go," Riku sighed.

"Tifa, why do you yell so much?"

"Oh, hey, it's not for me!"

"Excuse me?" Tifa asked.

"That's what it says," 19 replied.

She turned to Aerith. "Do I yell a lot?"

"Yeah…" Aerith said quietly.

Tifa made a face. "I don't know… habit or something, I guess. Next question?"

19 handed the hat to 29. He pulled out a question, frowned at it, and then handed it to me.

"Why do I have to-" I looked at the question. "Oh. Kairi! Peach wants to know what your reaction would be if you ran into a parallel Kairi and Sora who were happy and together?"

Kairi frowned. "I guess I'd be happy for them, first of all. I'd probably end up being sad, too, because they'd undoubtedly remind me of my Sora." She shrugged.

"There's more, sorry," I said. "Reaction to just an okay Sora?"

"Uhm…" She shrugged again. "I- I don't know. I don't- I don't think I'd be like, upset or anything—I might be, y'know, sad again. Miss my Sora. Wish my Sora was okay, too. But… I don't know. I don't know how I'd react to a different Sora until I meet one. Is that it?"

"Yeah," I said. "The last part has been answered in story already. Midnight reads next."

Midnight took the hat from 29 and pulled out a question. "To Riku from KKBeckket," she read.

"Great…" Riku groaned.

"'What would you do if you knew that Real Thing defended you to Shad?'"

"First he wants me to be happy, and then he _defends_ me? What the heck!?"

"Technically," I said. "It's the other way around. We just read the questions out of order."

"Hang on, Shad- Sora's Shadow, what does he have to do with this?" Namine asked.

"Back in Hollow Bastion," I explained. "Real Thing showed up and told Shad to leave Riku alone."

"He did?"

"For the most part, yeah," I said. There were other details, but I didn't think that they were worth going into.

"I'd ask 'Why couldn't you have shown up sooner?' and leave it at that," Riku said. "Next question."

I pulled a question out of the hat. It was from Cookie, and he said I didn't have to answer it. I'll go ahead and answer it anyway. "Cookie asks me: 'Mickey was going to explain what was going on with Sora's Keyblade. What was he going to say?'" I frowned. "I have honestly no idea, hence why it was scrapped. Sorry."

I handed the hat to Joseph.

"It's for Axel!" Joseph said, turning to him. "Peach wants to know what meeting another Axel was like. Awesome?"

"Yeah," Axel replied. "Awesome."

Joseph looked into the hat. "There's only a couple questions left. Here-" He pulled a relatively small piece of paper and handed it to Toby. "You can read it, it's short."

Toby looked at it. "To Axel again, and from Peach. 'Do you miss Roxas?'"

Axel took a moment to reply. "Yeah, I miss him. As much as I can without a heart, anyway. He was a nice kid."

"What about Xion?"

"I guess I miss her."

"Next question?" Toby said.

Namine took the hat from him. "There _aren't_ a lot of questions left," she muttered. She pulled one out and looked at it. "I think you want to deal with this one, Rar," she said, handing it to me.

I looked at it, and nodded. "Right, it's from Organization Number 15. And… it's similar to one of the questions that DarkNinjaPanda asked. They ask: 'Are Sora, Riku, and Kairi still wearing the same clothes from the Truth Hurts? Or did they ever change appearance?'"

"I haven't changed clothes since Falling to Pieces," Riku said. "I need to though…"

Namine turned to him. "You can do that after-"

"It has to be in-story."

"So, the answer: no," I said. "None of them have had a chance to change their clothes, and they won't change appearance 'til book 5. Though… I have considered having Kairi get a change of clothes…"

"You have?" she asked.

I nodded. "Ones that are suited to travel, y'know. Or, better suited than what you are wearing."

Kairi glanced down at her clothes, and shrugged. "I suppose you have a point. Any idea when you'll get around to it?"

"When inspiration strikes, or when it becomes plot important. Whichever comes first."

"Also, to answer the last part of Organization Number 15's question, which I didn't read aloud, and this is only really for their benefit; I have been avoiding KH2 clothes like the plague. Sora's clothes get darker throughout the games, and that doesn't work on my Sora. I feel like Riku would want something besides more clothes that Real Thing wears, and… well, I can't just stick Kairi in KH2 clothes if I'm not sticking anyone else in them."

"That's a lame reason," Kairi said.

"I don't remember if I had another one," I told her. "I really only know why I redesigned Namine's clothes, and then I think I just went and redesigned everyone else's for the heck of it. Those explanations I just gave were made up on the spot."

"Next question?" Namine asked.

"Yeah."

Namine handed the hat to Riku.

"Hey Joseph," Riku said. "KKBeckett asks you if you're glad that you found Toby."

Joseph glanced at Toby, and grinned. "Of course I am! I would've hated to leave him where I did, and it's nice to have someone else my age around."

"I'm four years younger than you…"

"Yeah, but no one else likes to play games."

"My turn to read a question!" Axel said. He took the hat from Joseph (who, by this point, was getting a little tired of being a delivery boy) and looked into it, frowning. "There is a depressing amount of questions in this hat," he muttered. "Which of the three shall I—you!" He unfolded the paper and read: "To Joseph from Peach. 'Can I have some ice cream?'"

Joseph grinned. "Sure, I'll bring you some after I give Cookie that hug!"

Tifa took the hat from Axel. She pulled out one question, handed it to Aerith, and then unfolded the other question.

"Aha!" Midnight said, before Tifa had a chance to read. She summoned my fedora to her and promptly put it on her head.

"Okay…" Tifa said slowly, then shook her head to recover. "Toby! Peach asks you: 'Is controlling fire and lightning cool? I've always liked these types best in Pokemon, so I really like the idea.'" She slowly lowered the paper. "What's Pokemon?" she asked.

"A video game. Nothing important or anything I feel like getting into right now." I turned to Toby.

He shifted slightly.

"Uhh, I guess it's cool. I never really think about it much…" He shrugged.

"Well, last question, then," Aerith said, unfolding her paper. "Namine, Peach asks: 'Do you have any clue as to why you can see the future?'" She paused and looked at Namine. "You can see the future?"

Namine frowned. "Not that I was aware of. I mean, I have drawn pictures before that sort of… predict the future, but I usually don't realize that they do until the moment I've drawn actually happens. I _do_ get odd notions sometimes about things… but it's not necessarily 'seeing' the future, and it doesn't happen consistently enough for me to understand it." She shrugged and glanced down, looking possibly a bit ashamed. "I realize that was a terrible answer…"

"That's okay," I assured her. "They only wanted your take on it. If they were serious about knowing, they would've asked me."

I noticed 19 shift slightly out of the corner of my eye.

"Okay, well, I need to go make sure Dari's not doing anything!" Midnight said, and disappeared, taking my fedora with her and nearly sending my laptop to the ground. I simply made my laptop vanish before it hit the ground and sent it back to its holding spot, since there was no way I was going to be able to catch it.

"She was… I don't know," Joseph said, staring at the spot Midnight had just occupied. "Different."

"A bit too happy and carefree, for my liking," Riku added. "It was like Sora, but _worse_."

"You kicking us out of here?" Axel asked.

"What, because of Sora's interview?" I laughed. "No. It'll only be him and his Shadow; I don't need a room _this_ big. I set aside a separate one for that."

"Good," Axel leaned back in his chair again. "I'll hang here for a while, then."

"We should get moving," Kairi said, turning to Tifa. "Yeah?"

Tifa nodded and rose to her feet.

She and Kairi disappeared.

"It's over?" Alpha asked, looking up from his book. No one answered him, not really, but he sighed in relief anyway. "Good. I have better things to be doing."

And with that, he was gone, too.

"Right, well, I'd love to sit here and wait for the rest of you to decide about whether or not you're leaving, but I have another round of this to go through," I said, getting to my feet. "See ya!"

"Have fun!" Namine said.

"Good luck," Riku muttered.

I rolled my eyes, and disappeared.


	28. (DI) Extra content 2: Agrabah

**DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE LATEST CHAPTER IN DEAD INSIDE AKA CH123 AKA "HIDE AND SEEK"!**

you will SERIOUSLY regret it, as there are spoilers afoot! Go read the latest update to Dead Inside (CH123) first!

kay

sorry to interrupt your stream of question chapters. However, posting this makes blogging about the chapter I just posted to Dead Inside (probably ch123) much easier

* * *

><p><strong>this isn't much, just the last bit of Sora and the Shopkeeper talking from Sora's POV. <strong>

Sora paused. He turned around, still not sure if his ears had deceived him or not.

They hadn't.

There she (Kairi) was.

Heading his way.

He turned to the shopkeeper.

"Can I… hide behind your stall?" he asked, slowly.

The shopkeeper raised his eyebrows, but motioned for him to go ahead.

"Thank you," Sora said, quickly diving into the stall and hiding below the counter.

XX

**this is the first of the original drafts of this whole sequence. Well, the only original draft, but you get the point. It's heavily underdeveloped, and I'm VERY surprised that I managed to squeeze a decent sized chapter out of it like I did**

Kairi stopped, listening. "Do you hear that?" she asked.

Tifa stopped, too, and listened.

"Hear what?" she asked.

Kairi made a face. The noise had stopped. "Well… I heard footsteps…" she said, slowly.

"There are plenty of people around," (?) Tifa sighed. "Of course you heard-"

"No," Kairi interrupted. "I didn't just- that-" She swallowed. "Those were Sora's footsteps…"

Tifa frowned. "Are you sure?" she asked, sounding like she didn't quite believe her.

"I've spent nearly my entire life with Sora," Kairi replied, a bit annoyed. "I know what his footsteps sound like, especially on sand." She kicked the sand at her feet as if to prove her point. "He was running."

Tifa sighed. "Okay…" she said slowly. "And?"

Kairi thought for a second, then listened. She smiled.

"He's hiding," she whispered.

"How can you tell?" Tifa responded, just as quiet, humoring her.

"I can hear him," Kairi said, keeping her voice low. "I can hear his breath, it's all uneven. He's trying to keep it steady so that I won't notice it, but failing like he always does."

"Do you have any idea where he's hiding?"

Kairi shrugged. "Somewhere nearby. My hearing's good, but it's not _that_ good."

"Alright," Tifa said. "We'll look around for him."

-they look for him, don't find him.

"Sora!" Kairi called. "I know you're here! Why- why are you hiding?"

(_Because I don't want you to find me… Because I'm not ready to face you._)

"Sora!?" she called, again, a bit desperate now.

Tifa grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Maybe he's not here," she said, calmly.

"No, I know he's here!" Kairi protested.

"Maybe he panicked and ran off," Tifa suggested.

Kairi frowned. "But why would he-" She paused, catching the sound of footsteps. Sora's footsteps. She turned.

"Sora?" she called, her eyes frantically searching for him. She swallowed, not seeing him. Then she got an idea, and called: "Sir Sora, stand down!"

The footsteps immediately stopped.

Silence.

"But- But Princess J- Kairi," he replied.

She grinned, her heart leaping in her chest. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist the cue from the play. She still couldn't quite see where he was, though…

"I- I can't, I- I've done so many terrible things," Sora continued. "I- I hurt you…"

She frowned, not liking the fear in his voice. Using his voice as a guide, she continued searching for him.

"I think you deserve a second chance," she called, prompting him.

Silence.

She wished he would keep talking, so she could find him, hold him, tell him that whatever he was worried about didn't matter; all that mattered was-

A shiver went down her spine.

He was gone.

She could tell.

XX

**this is the last bit again but from Sora's POV. Isn't much different than the Dead Inside chapter itself, but I'm posting it anyway**

_Second chance?_ Sora thought, slowly. His heart was pounding in his chest. _So she-_

Someone grabbed him by the shoulder. Their fingers were as cold as ice. His already pounding heart was racing now, not with excitement but with fear.

"There you are," Maleficent whispered, all-too-sweetly, as usual.

"No-" he tried to protest, but found it impossible. He couldn't even flinch away from her.

"Kairi!" he shouted, frantic, but no sound left his mouth. "Kairi! Help me! Kairi!"

He was screaming her name, calling for her, desperately needing to be saved, but she could not hear him.

"Come now, child," Maleficent said, teleporting them away. "It will be okay."

Sora wanted to cry.


	29. Questions pt2

So... I was considering doing a "villains edition" of one of these - KKBeckett suggested a few people whose embarrassing moments she wants to hear, and I might as well just drag all the villains over.

So ask the villains questions! And that includes everyone on Saix's side of the rebellion, and anyone from the Organization (minus Xemnas. I mean, you can ask Xemnas questions, but I'm not dragging him over here. I'm also not dragging Maleficent over, so don't bother.) You can ask Shad more questions if you'd like, and MAKE SURE to ask Axel more questions; it'd look suspicious if he wasn't in the "villains" question thing.

that's it.

Oh! 'cept, go pop over to the blog, I have a picture of Sora's scar up (or there's a link on my profile)

* * *

><p>I reappeared somewhere else in the depths of my brain, in the room I had set aside for Sora and Shad's interview. Sora was already there, occupying a rather plain looking chair. I frowned at him.<p>

"You could've conjured up a more comfortable chair, if you'd liked to."

He shrugged.

"Whatever."

I shrugged, too, and conjured up a swivel chair much like the one Axel had earlier and sat down in it. I had to resist the urge to twist it back and forth, or, worse, just spin around in circles. Not that Sora would have _really_ cared or anything.

"Any idea when your Shadow's getting here?"

Sora shook his head.

I made a face and let out a long breath.

Sora glanced up at me, looking rather confused. "Can't you just summon him here?"

"I _could_," I replied. "However, I don't mind the quiet for the moment. There was a _lot_ going on in the last one. I could use a quick break." I reached down to pick up the hat with Sora's questions, only to find that it _wasn't_ _there._

I had left it in the other room.

I sighed, held out my hand, and summoned it to me—

Except…

It didn't come.

"Looking for this?" Shad asked (that's weird, I've never actually used his nickname in a format like this before…) waving the hat about. He grinned.

I held out my hand. "Give it," I commanded.

"Why? Can't I just read all the questions?"

"_Give._"

Shad glared, but handed the hat over. He quickly composed himself, though, and flopped down in an armchair that hadn't been there all of two seconds ago. "Boy, am _I_ exhausted," he sighed. "The directions you sent me were totally _wrong_, so I had to go to the other room and follow your trail. It was ridiculous."

I rolled my eyes. "Speaking of trails, where's the wolf?"

Shad nodded at something behind me. I spun my chair around and found the wolf trotting in. It looked… kind of smug. I reached out to pet it as soon as it was close enough, ruffling its fur slightly. It gave me the look my cat gives me when she's _not_ amused. I quickly pulled my hands away, knowing that look ended in pain if I didn't quit.

I spun my chair around to face Sora and Shad. The wolf flopped down on the ground between us and made itself comfortable.

"Alright, let's get this started," I said, shaking up the hat a bit. I considered mentioning the idea of passing the hat around, only to realize that it wouldn't be nearly as interesting with only three of us. I pulled the first question out, and laughed.

Well, that was one way to start things.

"Both of you; most embarrassing moment."

Sora thought for about ten seconds before saying: "Agrabah. The fiasco with Aladdin and all that."

Shad snorted. "_Sure! _Because that's _totally_ your most embarrassing moment." The sarcasm was practically dripping of his voice. "No, he's just a lazy bum and chooses the most recent thing that's happened to him."

"So?" Sora replied. "What's yours?"

Shad sobered immediately.

"You actually have one?" Sora laughed, looking excited now. "I expected you to somehow _not_ have one!"

"I tripped once. Did horrors to my dignity."

That filthy lying—uh, I didn't have a word to finish that. But Shad's totally a filthy liar. That is _so_ not his most embarrassing moment, and I know it.

Sora rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like anyone saw you!" he muttered.

Shad shrugged, and sent a very warning look in my direction. I raised my eyebrows. Because threatening me worked… yeah… (That was sarcasm, in case you didn't catch it.)

For the sake of plot purposes, I will not say his most embarrassing moment aloud, because Sora can't know.

However, for the rest of you, it's any of those times he was crying. (Specifically; it's most likely the time right before SCAR, considering he also screwed up terribly, too.)

"Next question," Shad said.

I pulled one out. "It's to you," I said. "KKBeckett asks: 'What was the freakiest thing you saw in magik's Namine's memories?'"

"Ooh, toughy…" He scratched his chin, apparently thinking really hard about this. I doubted he was, but, then again, I would've heard a scrap of thought concerning his answer by now if he wasn't. He made a face. "I'm between Larxene, and some of the more in depth stuff concerning exactly _how_ she works with memories. Wait! I lie! She shared a body with Kairi for a while, and things get awkward if you think about that too much."  
>Okay, I doubt that'd be the most disturbing thing in her head.<p>

But she's not my character, and this is what Shad considers disturbing.

And I won't argue with him on his opinions.

I pulled the next question out. "Well, this is to me," I told them.

"Then why are you reading it _here_?" Shad asked.

I frowned at him. "Because it's related to you – well, Sora – and in case you – and that's either of you – would like to add your input, I'm reading it here. Capiche?"

"Just read the question, Rar," Sora said.

"Alright, Organization Number 15 asks me: 'Is the trinket Sora bought a wayfinder? Specifically, Terra's wayfinder?'"

Sora frowned and pulled the trinket out of his pocket. "What, this?" he asked.

Shad took one look at it and laughed. "Yeah, that's his wayfinder alright."

Sora turned to him, confused. "How do _you_ know?" he asked.

I'd say I was curious about that, too, but I actually know how Shad knows.

Shad raised his eyebrows. "Tell me, Sora, do you even know who Terra is?"

Sora frowned. "No. Should I?"

"Not necessarily," I assured him.

Shad rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed breath. "I doubt he even knows who Ventus is," he muttered.

"The name sounds familiar," Sora said. "But I couldn't tell you who he is…"

"Thought so! Spent ten years in your heart, and you don't even remember him! Doubt you even know that there's fragments of connection between you—speaking of connections!" He turned to me. "I can see into Sora's head just fine right now, so you must've done something to fix whatever the hell was wrong."

"You think _she _has any power in my brain?" I responded. "Trust me, she and any other person I can't trust have limits on their powers. Like you, and Edd- granted, there aren't as much on him at the moment, since he's been very quiet after his third death."

"It's only his second," Shad corrected.

"Shut up, it's permanently his third in my head." I picked out another question and read it before Shad could argue. "Sora, you don't mind that you haven't gotten a question yet, do you? I keep pulling out ones for Shad…"

"It's fine," Sora said.

"Cool. Shad, KKBeckett wants to know what you would do if Kairi finds out who you really are."

Shad made a face. "I think I'd strangle something, for starters. Maybe Tifa, if she was anywhere nearby." I could see his fists clench slightly.

"Anything else you'd do?" Sora asked.

"I can't think of anything specific," Shad replied.

I had a feeling that wasn't the whole truth, but I wasn't going to sit here and try and worm the rest out of him.

I reached into the hat, hoping for a question for Sora.

I got one.

"Here we go!" I exclaimed. "Finally, one for Sora. Though, actually, this is explained in story, or will be shortly… so…" I sighed and discarded the question. Thankfully, the next question I pulled out was for Sora, too. And, funnily enough, it was a slightly similar question. "Sora, I have another."

"Ask away."

"KKBeckett asks: 'Why can't you just own up and see Kairi? You're only making it worse by running...'"

"I-" Sora got a very troubled look. Recognizing the look, I cringed.

"Sora," I said slowly. "Are you going to be okay?"

"And here I thought this wasn't going to be interesting," Shad laughed.

I ignored him.

"Sora?"

"I-"

"Just… Just stop trying to remember what you're trying to remember, okay?" I told him. I felt kind of bad for doing this, but for the sake of this question being answered accurately, on top of other things, I had to. "You're going to hurt yourself or something."

"But I…"

Y'know, I just realized; the face that Sora makes (at least, that my Sora makes) when he can't remember something looks a lot like a face that Ven would make. Keep that in mind, readers. Sora's face when having trouble remembering something looks pretty much just like Ven's face when he's having trouble remember things.

You followed that, right?

"Sora, c'mon," I said.

"But it's important! Why can't I- ah!" He gasped and then rounded to glare at his Shadow, who was smirking.

"What, can't I have a little fun?" he asked.

"Leave Sora alone so he can answer the question," I warned.

Shad rolled his eyes, but dropped whatever hold he had on Sora.

Sora cast another glare at his Shadow and then sighed. "I… I just can't. Okay? I can't."

"That's a terrible answer, Sora," I said. "Sorry, but it is."

"I know. But that's all I can give you."

The tone in his voice made me decide to just drop the subject. Sorry KKBeckett, but I'm not going to try and squeeze a better answer out of him. The crud he's giving me concerning how he feels about answering this is almost as bad as Riku when he's in one of his moods, and I'm not going to sit here and try to unravel it.

I pulled another question out of the hat to read. "Shad-" I paused, catching drift of scene that Sora was thinking about. I stared at him for a moment, but then quickly reached for my journal.

"Oh great, now we'll be here for another hour!" Shad groaned.

"Shut up and let me write it, and we won't!" I replied. "Sora, keep focusing on that, let me write it down."

Shad didn't seem very happy about this, but the scene was so clear in my mind that I couldn't care less. I started writing it down, and about fifteen or so minutes later I was finished.

"Can we get back to that question now?" Shad asked as I put my journal aside.

I nodded and picked up the discarded question. "Alright, Shad, Peach asks: 'If you were to meet another Sora, would you be able to affect him and control him, especially if he was close to the Light?'"

Shad let out a breath. "Affect him, yeah," he said. "Control him, probably not. Not any more than I can control anyone else, anyway. It's not like he's my Sora."

"_Your_ Sora?"

"What? I'm _your_ Shadow. And we have yet to come up with a word that classifies people who have Shadows, so what else am I supposed to call you?"

I'd have to come up with a word that classifies people with Shadows…

Suggestions, readers?

"Just to clarify, Shad, you just said you wouldn't be able to control him, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, not to the extent I can control this Sora, anyway." He nodded over at Sora. "Why are we clarifying?"

"I feel like it wasn't entirely clear the first time," I replied with a shrug. "Next question! Flightfoot asks me: 'If Sora could go into Final Form, would that alleviate some of his darkness?'"

"What's Final Form?" Sora asked.

"Something you'll probably never use," Shad replied.

"Probably not, Flightfoot," I said. "His darkness problems are completely different than magik's Sora's darkness problems. I mean, since I don't plan to explore any of the Drive Forms, I haven't thought about it much, but I still don't think it would."

"It probably wouldn't, especially not with me around," Shad said. "However, next question."

I pulled it out and laughed. There couldn't have been a more perfect question to have shown up after Shad said that.

"So, it's from Cookie, and he says: 'Anyone with half a brain knows that Shad will ultimately fail-'"

"Excuse me?"

I smiled but continued reading. "'You know this, Rar. Shouldn't he as well?'"

"Does this kid want to be strangled?"

"What's with you and strangling people?" Sora asked. "And, your luck, you won't be on the same plane of existence of him."

"I wouldn't let you do it, anyway," I told Shad. He was clutching the arms of his chair very tightly. I'm sure if I could see his knuckles, they'd be white. "Anyway, the question continues: 'How does he feel about that? How does he feel knowing that ultimately all his efforts would have been for nothing, and that he would have failed utterly and completely?'" I grinned. "He admits that he's just trying to annoy you."

"'Utterly and completely' my ass!" Shad exclaimed. "The only way all end up failing is if Sora kills me – and it has to be him, no one else can – and we _all_ know that Sora's too much of a nice guy to actually kill me."

"I am not!" Sora replied. "I just… haven't actually tried yet…"

"See, nice guy!"

The way Shad said it make it sound like an insult.

"Well, next time we meet in-story, I'll be glad to just finish you off," Sora said.

"Ooh, bold words!" Shad scoffed. "Especially considering-"

Obviously, he had shared something telepathically with Sora. I could tell just by the look on Sora's face as he thought about whatever it was. For some reason, I hadn't picked up on it.

"Is that seriously the next time we meet?" he asked.

"When?"

Sora sent me the scene that Shad was referring to. I frowned.

"I think you two run into each other before that," I said after a moment.

"Whatever." Shad rolled his eyes, not interested anymore. "Can we just move onto the next question now?"

"You never answered the last question," Sora pointed out.

"I believe I said: 'Utterly and completely my ass!'"

"That's not a proper response," I said.

"You let Sora get away with less!"

"Yeah, because he had a legitimate reason. You're just being stubborn."

"I won't fail."

"Please, you can't seriously be _that_ conceited."

"Isn't it detrimental to your precious plot that something like this isn't mentioned?"

"We all know you're going to fail, Shad."

"I am _not_!"

"Denial!" I sang.

Sora was laughing so hard that he had fallen out of his chair (though, considering how simple the chair was, it can't have been that hard to do). The wolf shook itself slightly, though it couldn't have possibly looked any less interested in what was going on.

"Can we just move on to the next question now?"

"Shad," I laughed. "I know your bothered by this, but I'd like to hear you say it yourself if you don't mind."

I was being cruel, I know. But what's the point of letting Shad have his way? It'd be no fun! Besides, this was getting boring, I could feel it. What better way to make it more interesting than to bother Shad?

"I am not bothered!"

I shook my head in disappointment. "You are such a terrible liar! Do I need to call Aerith in here so you'll stop that?"

"_You wouldn't dare!_" Shad roared, jumping to his feet.

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Are you threatening me?"

The wolf's ears perked up.

Sora stopped laughing.

"And just what if I am?" Shad replied. "What exactly are you going to do about it?"

I slowly folded my arms across my chest.

"I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do about it," I told him.

"Then why don't we just move on to the next question?" he said sweetly.

"I already told you, we aren't moving on 'til I hear you admit you're bothered by this."

Next thing I knew I had his blade at my throat.

Hmm, I would normally flinch when faced with this type of thing, honestly, but I don't feel like giving Shad that satisfaction. I looked him right in the eye and didn't move.

"I am not bothered," he repeated, firmly.

There was an almost frantic look in his eyes.

"Put the blade down, Shad," I said simply. "Threatening me is going to get you nowhere. I mean, it's my brain; you _can't_ hurt me."

"And like you can hurt me?" he laughed. "I know how you fight, and it doesn't get any more violent than throwing random food in people's faces."

I laughed. "Wow, you must've missed the past ten emails to Grace, then. I usually use random Legend of Zelda items. Granted, I can't here…" I made a face. "Anyway, put the blade down, Shad. As much as my readers would love to see us fight, I don't have time for it."

"Then let's move onto the next question."

"I already told you how I felt about that, Shad."

"Fine then." He raised his blade, as if to strike.

The idiot.

I kicked against the ground, rolling my chair back well out of the way, and pulled out a bow and arrow which was in no time aimed at Shad. (Even though, technically, I have never held a bow in my life… Ah well.)

"Must we do this?" I asked.

"What, make you look like a Mary Sue?"

"I think my readers understand," I sighed. "Now, just admit you're bothered by the fact that you're going to fail and we can move on."

"Isn't this an incredibly stupid thing to be arguing about?" Sora asked.

"I'm not backing down!" I replied. "I've made a point this far not to let Shad have his way, and if I let him have his way now I might as well just delete the past page of this. Now, Shad, answer the question."

"Yes, threaten to shoot me! That'll make me answer it! Hah! I know you won't-"

I let the arrow fly, though it missed by quite a bit.

"Just answer the question, Shad."

"I'm not scared of you! You can't make me!"

I dropped the bow (which disappeared instantly) and motioned slightly with my hand. Shad collapsed, clutching his chest. His blade disappeared the moment he let go of it.

"What. The. _Hell?_" he demanded.

I rolled my chair back closer to him. "You going to answer the question or not?"

"What are you doing to him?" Sora asked.

"Making him relive a painful moment," I replied.

I'd actually considered doing something else to him, but it would be impossible to put into words without sounding absolutely cruel. Plus, it'd most likely start a debate I'd _rather_ not get into. It makes my brain hurt just thinking about it…

"He has a painful moment to relive?"

"I never said it was _his._"

Sora looked like he didn't know how to respond to that.

"Okay, fine!" Shad said through clenched teeth. "I'm bothered, dammit, now make this stop!"

I motioned with my hand again, and Shad quickly scrambled to his feet. After a second of glaring at me, he sat back down in his chair, crossed his arms, and pointedly looked away from us. I shrugged and pulled the next question out of the hat.

It was to Shad.

I considered it for a moment, and then put it back in the hat.

I pulled out another question. (Actually, I pulled out like, three. But one of them was to Shad, one of them required Shad paying attention to us or it wouldn't have been funny, and my OCD made me discard the last question in favor of this one.) "DarkNinjaPanda asks: 'Does Sora still have Kairi's good luck charm? He said he can't describe anything that's… - lucky, was he going to say?'"

"I was going to say 'anything that's happened to me recently as lucky'," Sora said. "And Kairi's what?"

"Good luck charm. It doesn't apply in this universe."

"Why not?"

"Because she never got around to making you one, and even if she had, there wasn't a chance to give it to you," I explained. "Sorry if you wanted one."

"I wonder if it would've changed things…"

"It wouldn't have."

"Oh."

I looked into the hat again.

Well… if I was rigging this…

I pulled out a very _large_ piece of paper. "Sora," I said. "Peach asks-" I paused. "Well, this is less of a question and more of a hypothetical situation that they want your reaction to."

"Kay…"

"'A guy who looks like Shad introduces himself by the name of Vanitas, saying that he'll help you get rid of Shad if you tell him where a boy named Ventus is. You have no clue who Ventus is, have no clue who Vanitas is, and have no idea what Vanitas's intentions are. Do you trust him? And they want your reaction, too.'"

Sora thought for a moment. "Well, first off, I think I'd demand to know why the heck Vanitas looks like my-"

"Ohmygod that was his name!" Shad exclaimed, rather suddenly. "Vanitas! No wonder why I couldn't remember it, it's friggin Latin! And long! And it- it's… it sounds like Ventus…" He scowled. "Well if I had bothered to make _that_ connection, I probably wouldn't have forgotten it…"

"What are you going on about?" Sora asked.

"Nothing. Ignore me, back to your question." Shad turned away from us again. "Though, I'd like to know how the hell Vanitas would plan to get rid of me—oh wait, he probably didn't even—"

"Shad!" I interrupted. "This is all just a hypothetical situation, and if you had finished that, you would've ruined Sora's reaction."

"How would he-"

"Just answer the question, Sora!"

"Okay, okay, geeze." Sora sighed. "As I was saying, I'd first demand to know why the heck Vanitas looked like my Shadow. Once I'd done that… uh…" He was silent for a bit. "I suppose that all hinges on whether or not I'd run into that Ventus guy before this, doesn't it?"

"The questions specifies that you didn't," I said.

"Oh, well, in that case… No. I don't think I'd trust Vanitas. I'd be suspicious of him because he looks like my Shadow, and I think I'd rather deal with my Shadow myself."

"And he mentions nothing about the fact there'd probably be something inside of him screaming about how trusting Vanitas would be a bad idea, of course," Shad muttered.

"Why would—what?" Sora asked.

"Ventus, you idiot!" Shad said. "The fragments of connection that are still between the two of you, and Ventus obviously wouldn't trust Vanitas, so he'd be screaming at you. And, as stereotypical Sora behavior mandates, you'd listen to the screaming inside your heart and not whoever might be trying to convince you otherwise."

"You lost me."

"Shad, give him a break," I said. "Sora isn't as… fluent in connections as you are."

"Oh, so the connection between everything is a language now?"

"Given the way you speak of it, I'm surprised I didn't make it a language sooner," I replied.

"Let me try and understand this," Sora said, slowly, scratching his head. "There's a connection between me and Ventus. But who's Ventus?"

"Some kid who's heart you helped heal because his was so painfully fractured it was almost ridiculous," Shad replied, shooting a glare over at Sora. "Do you not remember _anything_ from when you were seven?"

"I don't remember that," Sora admitted.

Shad stared at him, now looking more confused than anything else. "So you _don't_ remember not being able to sleep one night just because of how much you were crying, even though you had no clue why you were even crying in the first place?"

Sora shook his head.

Shad frowned, then turned to me. "Was that one of the memories I ended up keeping?" he asked.

"Must've been," I told him, even though I really had no idea.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, not sounding very happy.

Shad sighed. "Remember that time when you forgot everything that happened during to Fa- I mean, during those two weeks when you fell into darkness?"

Oh, so this rant was going _here?_ Okay then…

Not like I knew where (or even if) it was going to happen in-story, anyway.

"Yeah," Sora replied. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, that was about the time I split myself from you," Shad said. "The split went wrong though, and I ended up with too much of your heart, too much of your memories – not a enough to be hazardous, but…"

"But I only lost memory of what happened during those two weeks…" Sora seemed very confused. Poor kid. This is one of those times that I feel bad for being in on the loop…

"That was the main stuff, yeah, but I took more than that. Not like I meant to, or anything, and I tried to give them all back, but I must've missed a few from your childhood."

I think "a few" is an understatement, but we'll just go with it.

"Like what?"

Shad shrugged. "This, along with-"

"Why can't I remember what happened the day of the school play?" Sora asked, rather frantically. "It's just… missing. And I know I wouldn't have forgotten that!"

Shad got a distant look as he went through the memories he had. He chuckled. "I suppose _that_ would explain why he chose Agrabah as his most embarrassing moment," he said.

I glanced over the memory Shad was thinking about, too. It was that moment Kairi had mentioned; when Selphie offered her and Sora a lot of munny to get them to kiss.

That would also explain how Selphie managed to do it in front of the whole school…

She'd asked on the day of the school play (and I wouldn't have put it past her to have _interrupted_ the school play just to ask them).

"Can we move on now?" I asked.

Shad shrugged. "Sure. I guess I don't have reason to sit here and nag Sora about not remember Ventus if _I_ have his only memory of him."

"You wouldn't have reason even if you didn't," Sora said. "It happened… when I was seven, you said? I don't remember a lot from when I was seven, and _not_ just because you have the memories."

It's a pity the memory thing would be resolved before book 5; it'd be such a fun thing to have the two of them argue about.

Ah well.

"Let's move on!" I said, before they could start arguing anymore. I pulled the next question out of the hat. "Xero asks: 'Sora's scar—does it look kinda like Braig's in BBS, or more like this thin scraggly looking thing?'" I paused. "Y'know, I really need to upload some of my concept art for what that scar looks like."

"Am I supposed to answer this?" Sora asked.

"Nah, it was directed at me," I said.

"And so _why_ are you reading it here?" Shad asked.

"Again, in case you have input. Now, Xero, my original drawings of it… it's kind of thin, but thinking about it _now_, it should probably look more like Braig's scar. I'll have to redraw it…"

"Like you have time!" Shad scoffed.

I cast a look at him. "I can trace the base in like, ten minutes or _less._ I mean, I've used it three times now, my hands remember what everything feels like."

"Why have you used it three times?" Sora said.

"Once for the sake of tracing it, once for your scar, once for a concept for how your face would've been bandaged." I reached into the hat and pulled out another question. I smiled at it. "Shad! KKBeckett wants to know if you want Riku dead."

Shad burst out laughing. "Are you kidding me? Hell no! He's the only fun person to mess with! Besides, he could be useful later."

That so wasn't the response I was expecting…

"She then asks what you would do if you two confronted each other."

Shad made a face. "I'd probably end up _having_ to fight, considering Riku wants me dead," he said. "He does want me dead, doesn't he?"

"Well, I don't know, after making me stab him in the chest, and insulting-"

"Yeah, I thought he was pretty pissed in me. Well, we'd fight, and one of us would probably end up dying…" Shad shrugged. "Unless someone else got involved, of course."

Valid point.

I pulled out the next question.

"Sora, Peach asks if you have any clue how to beat Shad right now."

Sora thought for a second. "Well-"

I glared. "Please refrain from using any knowledge that you wouldn't have _right now_."

Sora pouted.

"Fine. Then no, I don't. I mean, I assume if I finally get my darkness in check and then go fight him, I'll be able to kill him. That's how these things usually work, isn't it?"

"Usually." Shad said.

Sora glared. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

Shad just smirked and didn't respond.

"Next question then," I muttered, picking one. "Sora. Peach says: 'Reaction to Real Thing. Would you still feel like you were in Riku's Shadow? Understand that he was in another person's shadow?'"

Sora stared.

"Uhm… can you possibly give that to me _not_ all at once?"

Shad groaned and rubbed his head. "Damn you're slow!"

"Okay, you know who Real Thing is, right?" I asked.

"Of course he knows who real thing is! We don't refer to him as _anything_ else!"

Geeze, what had ticked Shad off so much?

Hmm.

"Gee, Shad, what's got you so ticked?" I asked.

"I have better things to be doing with my life!" he snapped.

"Like what, stalking Kairi?"

He glared.

"Excuse me?" Sora asked.

"She's kidding. Just answer your question."

I sighed. "Sora, I think Peach is getting at how would you feel once you realized Riku, our Riku-"

"You don't have to specify!" Shad groaned.

"-used to be in Real Thing's Shadow. Would you still feel like you were in Riku's shadow?"

"I… I haven't felt like I was in Riku's shadow since he first showed up on the Islands. After everything that happened after that, and once I got back out of the Realm of Darkness… I don't know." Sora shook his head. "I don't know what I'm trying to say. I mean-" He paused for a second, then tried again: "I don't feel like I'm in Riku's shadow anymore. I really just don't care. There's more important things to care about."

"Can we just move onto the next question?" Shad asked.

Five questions left. I pulled one out. It still wasn't the one that I had meant to answer forever ago, but had put back in the hat for some reason. What were the odds?

"Shad. Peach wants to know what your reaction to Vanitas is."

Shad rolled his eyes. "If you're expecting something big, you aren't getting it. It's not like it'd be a surprise to run into him, minus the fact that, y'know, he's _dead_. But I know he exists. I know he looks nearly identical to me. I know quite a bit about him, especially after running into Ven inside Sora's heart a while back. Though, I never _did_ figure out all the details concerning the χ-blade…" he trailed off, thoughtfully.

"And so… what would you do if you were to run into him?" I prompted.

"I don't know. I'd… pick a fight with him. For the heck of it. Why not?" He chuckled. "See if I'm stronger than him. Bet I would be…"

Aha!

There was the question.

"Hey! Wolfy that needs a name! C'mere!" I patted my knees.

The wolf didn't budge.

I think it fell asleep.

I let out a breath and then got down on the ground next to it. I ran a hand through its fur. "Hey!" I said.

It opened an eye at me.

It didn't look very thrilled.

"Cookie wants you to be really cool, and become a good guy and follow Sora around and just be an all-around legend."

It grinned a wolfy grin at me.

No idea what that means, Cookie, sorry.

But, I think I can promise you that I will not disappoint you with the wolf's role in my story. (I think.)

I got up and went back to my chair.

Both Sora and Shad were giving me odd looks.

I ignored them and pulled out the next question.

Oh, it was the question I was too lazy to answer earlier and, again, threw back in the hat. I discarded it, knowing that I wouldn't need the paper itself.

"Alright, Sora," I said. "I have three questions for you. All from Peach. Hypothetical 'what's your reaction to' questions again. Kay?"

"I'm not five," Sora said. "Just because I was slow on that one question doesn't mean I'll be slow on _all_ of them."

"Sora, it's nearly midnight and I really need to go to bed. But I have two questions left, so forgive me for being a bit… soifhsdofjsfos."

"Ask away then."

"First off! Your reaction to seeing a parallel version of you and Kairi who were happy and together?"

"Oh, this'll be good," Shad laughed.

Sora laughed, too, though it was much more bitter.

I haven't missed that bitter laugh of his… (haven't written for Sora in nearly a month now. Focusing on Riku, then anniversary came up… I haven't actually written anything story related since… quite some time ago. The beginning of this month ish.)

"My luck," he said, and the bitterness carried to his voice, too, "My darkness will make me all jealous and—well, you know where things could go from there. They could get really ugly. Fighting, screaming—" He clutched his head, fingers curling into his hair. "And then the anger and the tears-"

I scooted my chair back a bit, as if it would actually distance me from the torrent of emotions and images I was getting form Sora. I suppose this is what I get for writing so late at night.

"That'd be fun!" Shad said, grinning. "I mean, how would that play out… you'd get jealous, start yelling at them, they'd try to reason with you, but you'd inevitably say something that would piss the other Sora off, and—"

"Shad, shut up," I said, firmly.

I didn't need him making matters worse.

"Sora, calm yourself down, I'd like to ask the next part of this question."

Sora took a few shaky breaths, and then looked up.

"Ask away," he said.

Thank goodness there were only two questions left after this one…

"Reaction to a parallel Sora who has no problems with the darkness," I said.

"Well… I'd like to think we'd get along, since we're the same person and all." Sora grimaced, then. I really don't like the grimace on his face… "But then I'd probably get jealous, and cue scenario that I just described."

"Except worse!" Shad added. "Because there would be no one there to stop you two from beating the crap out of other. I certainly wouldn't."

"Last one, Sora," I sighed. "Reaction to a parallel Kairi?"

The grimace left his face. "Well, I don't see this one going down a bad road…"

"Well-" Shad began.

Sora glared. "Don't you dare," he snapped. "Okay, well, I think that would probably just be awkward, and we'll leave it at that."

"Cool," I said, and pulled out the next question. "Shad, what do you plan to do once you beat Sora?"

He glared.

"After all that fuss about me _failing-_"

"Peach asked," I replied.

He thought for a minute. "Well, I'd say I'd go haunt Ventus, but that path most likely leads to me getting turned into a Keyblade. I could always go bother Ri- oh!" He laughed, darkly. "I'd go to the other universe. Make life miserable for the Memory Witch."

I didn't like that grin on his face.

"Last question," I said. "Sora, Peach asks: 'If you were to meet Riku, how would you apologize?'"

"Our Riku?" Sora asked.

"I think so."

He made a face. "What do I need to apologize for? I apologized for nearly everything back at the beginning of Dead Inside."

"You could apologize for stabbing him in the chest," Shad pointed out.

"I don't think he cares about that…" Sora said. "I mean, I'd say I was sorry for it, even though it wasn't my fault." He glared pointedly at Shad.

"That it?" Shad asked. He didn't wait for a response. "Good." He flashed out.

The wolf sat up and studied Shad's empty chair for a long moment. Finally, it seemed to sigh, before it walked out of the area.

I got to my feet, but paused.

"Sora… aren't you going to leave?"

"Uhm… I was thinking I'd just stay here," he said, shifting slightly. "That's okay, right?"

"Well, sure, I guess." I frowned. "But why would you want to stay here? No one else is here…"

"I'm not allowed in the other room, remember? Can't risk running into Kairi."

Oh yeah.

I was beginning to feel bad about that rule.

"You sure you want to stay?" I asked.

He nodded.

I looked at him for a moment longer, still confused. Then I realized where exactly I had left him, and suddenly understood why he was content with staying here.

"Alright… just- just be there when I need you, got it?"

"Please, that won't be for a while." He smiled a knowing smile at me. "Q hasn't even shown up, and you'll know how long Riku'll start delaying after that."

I chuckled. "True."

"See ya," he said, waving at me.

I turned away.

"Sorry," I muttered, and then was gone.


	30. Questions pt3

whew! that took FOREVER!

alright, sorry it's so LONG. Again, IT TOOK FOREVER!

Also, sorry if I skipped one of your questions. There were A LOT of questions I had to sift through, and I skipped through the duplicates and questions that I felt were slightly pointless... no offense meant! There were, again, a LOT of questions.

* * *

><p>I was starting to question just how good of an idea this was – having a question thing (I needed to figure out something better to call these…) dedicated entirely to villains. Looking around the room, I realized I hardly knew any of these characters, and that most of them were <em>old<em>. I mean, I suppose that normally wouldn't be an issue, but it honestly feels weird to be in charge of a room of people who are _older_ than me by _quite a bit._

And, of course, not everyone was here yet. All of three people (Xigbar, his clone, and Demyx) had arrived before I had. I had to tell Xigbar to move off the couch, even though sharing it with him wouldn't have been much different than trying to remain comfortable while my dad falls asleep on the other end of the couch and ends up sticking his feet in my lap. In fact, Xigbar might've been easier to deal with my dad… that didn't mean I wanted to share the couch with him, however.

I digress.

Now that I was here, everyone else was showing up. Luxord now occupied an armchair and was absentmindedly shuffling a deck of cards. Xaldin had resigned himself to the rocking chair. Demyx was sitting in the other armchair (I believe that's where Cloud sat last time), Xigbar had moved from the couch to the lounge chair. The first thing that Axel did upon arriving was send an annoyed glare at Xigbar's Clone, who was sitting in Axel's swivel chair. Laughing slightly, I summoned an identical swivel chair for Axel.

"Not the same," he muttered, sitting down in it and trying to make himself comfortable.

Oddly enough, the only people missing now were Saix, 37, and L. Okay then.

Oh, wait, we were missing one other person…

"Shad!" I called.

He appeared, looking rather disgruntled, dead-center of the room.

"And how do _I_ make good moral support?" he asked.

I frowned.

"Who said anything about moral support?"

"You. 'Bout two minutes ago. You wished you had someone closer to your age here for moral support. I don't see how _I_ qualify as moral support." He was glaring.

"There's questions for you, stupid," I said. "If I wanted moral support, I would've dragged someone else in here, like-"

Sora appeared next to Shad. He took a horrified glance around the room.

"I'm not supposed to be here," he said.

I rubbed my head.

"For the moment, Sora, you're fine," I told him.

"I don't know, Sneeze, I've seen some of these questions, and-"

"Midnight!" I shouted.

"'Sneeze'?" Shad asked.

"I refuse to call her Rar," Midnight said, plainly, from her position on the arm of the couch. "It has no ring to it. And since there isn't anything else to call her, I'm sticking to one of the nicknames from the 'isneezelightning' days."

"One of…" Luxord said, and it was somewhere between a statement and a question.

"She had like, twenty." Midnight shrugged. "Not nearly as many as Gfrace had." She turned to me. "Are you mad at me?" she asked. "You sounded mad. Do you not want me here?"

"I don't mind your being here, Midnight," I explained. "I'm just tired of you appearing right next to me."

She grinned.

"What was she saying about the questions we had?" Axel asked. "She was saying something about them."

"I just feel like Sora shouldn't be here to hear some of your answers, that's all," Midnight said.

I sighed. She was probably right. Oh well. "I've already summoned him here, I don't want to send him back- he's kind of got nowhere else to go, and I feel bad leaving him in the other room all alone."

"Send Hope and Fear to talk to him," Midnight said. "Or someone else. You've got about twenty of us."

"Where's Dari?" I asked.

"Zync's got tabs on her, don't worry about it."

"For now, Sora," I said, turning to him. "Do you want to stay here? You're free to."

He glanced nervously around. "I- I… I think I'll go," he stuttered.

"I'll send Hope and Fear over," I told him.

He nodded, and was gone.

I turned to Shad. "You want to sit?" I asked, gesturing to the free space on the couch.

"I think I'll stand," he said.

"You sure? We have over fifty questions to sift through."

"If I need a chair I'll summon one," he told me, plainly.

"Sure, you offer him the couch!" Demyx was protesting. I turned to him.

"You want to sit on the couch?"

His eyes told me yes.

I nodded for him to go ahead and do so. He grinned and got up from his seat and relocated to the other end of the couch.

Xigbar was now eyeing me, looking annoyed. "You kicked me off the couch!"

"You were taking up the entire couch!"

"Can we start with the questions, now?" Xaldin asked.

"We're short three people," I said.

"How is he-" Midnight began.

All of us turned to what she was pointing to. She was pointing to Shad, who was-

"He's just leaning against the wall," Demyx said, confused. "What's weird about that?"

Everyone else was with Demyx on this matter, but I was with Midnight.

Yes, Shad was leaning against a wall, which was perfectly normal, I suppose, except…

"This is… endless space…" I said, slowly. "There aren't any-" I paused. It wasn't worth it. Shad could lean against the nonexistent wall if he wanted to. I wasn't going to waste time arguing with him about the fact that there aren't technically walls here. But he's leaning against one…

Ow, I just hurt my own brain…

Saix appeared then, looking a bit annoyed. I could only imagine why. He glanced around the room, and then sat down in the armchair that Demyx had occupied not long ago. It was the only empty seat minus the chairs at Edd's table.

Speaking of Edd, he looked as bored as ever.

"Who are we missing?" Demyx asked.

"Who do you think?" Axel asked, rolling his eyes.

"Well I know the boss isn't coming," Demyx said. "And I can't think of anyone important enough to- oh!"

37 and L had finally arrived.

I subtly scooted over slightly on the couch to make it look like there wasn't any room left. Thankfully, they pulled up chairs at Edd's table. Edd rose to his feet.

"I'm not doing this," he stated, plainly.

Everyone looked at him, confused.

"Aw, why not?" Midnight teased.

He glared. "Well, A: _they_ just sat down next to me B: I can read minds and C-" he paused a second. "I don't think I need a C. Those first two reasons are reason enough to not want to stay here."

"Can't you just block them out?" Shad asked. "That's what I- oh, of course, it would be too much of a strain to do anything besides let your mind-reading ability run on auto-pilot." He rolled his eyes and muttered something insulting under his breath.

Edd's glare deepened.

"Uh-oh, he's got the scary look!" Midnight said.

"Not now Edd," I sighed. "You were leaving?"

"Where does he plan on going?" Shad laughed. "Doesn't everyone else in your head hate him?"

"I'll go to Sora's room."

Oh, so that room that Sora's stuck sitting in is _his_ now? Okay…

"Hope and Fear are there," Midnight pointed out.

"They don't hate me yet," Edd replied, and was gone.

"Yet…" Midnight muttered.

"Who's she?" L asked – or, rather, demanded.

Midnight rolled her eyes. "Oh so they really _are_ annoying. I thought you were exaggerating about that."

I threw a glance at her, confused.

"Larxene Replicas being annoying," she explained. "I mean, the story _is_ mainly written from Riku's POV, and we all know how _he_ feels about any form of Larxene."

"No, they're all like this," Axel said.

L glared over at him. "_That_ wasn't very nice!" She folded her arms across her chest and turned her attention back to me. "Back to my earlier question, who's _she_?"

"I have a name, thanks," Midnight said, frowning. I shot her a warning look. "And it just so happens to be Midnight. Who are you?"

"Larxene L."

Midnight turned to me.

"Why L? Of all the letters…"

Because it stuck is the proper answer, but I couldn't keep myself from thinking of the old joke:

"L," I said, quietly. "For _loooove._"

Midnight burst out laughing so hard that she fell onto the ground. After saying a quick "ow" she only continued to laugh. Everyone else in the room was regarding her with varying confused expressions, as none of them heard my comment. I smiled to myself, unable to keep from laughing a bit, too.

"What did you tell her!?" L demanded.

"Nothing." My smile only widened, and I reached for the hat. "Now, let's get started with those questions."

For starters, thank you Flightfoot, for being the only one who followed the "don't ask Xemnas or Maleficent questions" rule. The rest of you, who did ask those two particular people questions, I am _not_ dragging them in here. I'm not very comfortable writing for Xemnas (I'll have to fix that) and putting Maleficent in the same room as the Organization is a bad idea (and I'm not very comfortable writing for her, either – something else I'll have to fix). Don't worry, though, those questions will be answered.

I reached into the hat.

"First question," I said, unfolding the piece of paper. "Xigbar's clone! Magik asks 'Who's side are you _really_ on?'"

Xigbar's clone grinned and nodded over at Xigbar. "His."

I discarded the question and reached for the next one.

"We aren't passing it around the room?" Midnight asked, pushing herself up and trying to regain her composure.

"Are you kidding?" I replied. "Most of these people are going to destroy the questions their asked!"

"That's comforting," Luxord muttered.

"It's true," Shad said.

I pulled out the next question, and smiled. "See, like this question! Saix! Why did you dislike Roxas so much? Flightfoot wants to know."

Midnight lost it again.

Saix was silent for a moment, and then he said: "I didn't dislike him. I lack a heart to dislike him with. However, I will say that Roxas had a habit of never doing what he was told."

"He did?" Demyx asked. "He did a good job of collecting hearts for us – what else was he supposed to do?"

"He has a good point," Xigbar added. "What else did you expect the kid to do? Or is this just you disliking that girl? What's her name…"

"Xion," Axel said, automatically.

"He was letting himself be distracted from the job that needed to be done," Saix said, as if that answered everything.

37 and L exchanged glances.

Axel tensed.

Midnight was still laughing.

And here I was thinking that this wasn't going to be fun. I reached for the next question.

"Another one from Flightfoot," I said. "This one's to Shad and sort of me… and it's not entirely a question." I made a face. Everyone looked like they just wanted me to get on with it. "Well, Flightfoot says 'So, if Shad defeated Sora, he'd go to magik's universe? I thought he couldn't do that…'"

"I just can't do it at the moment," Shad said. "My existence doesn't allow me to be that far away from Sora. With Sora out of the equation, I can do whatever the hell I want."

I pulled out the next question and laughed. "Hey Shad, KKBeckett says you need to sort out your anger management issues towards Tifa."

"I doubt that's going to happen," Midnight said, trying to compose herself.

"It's Tifa's fault for getting in my way!" Shad replied, simply, brushing the matter aside.

I feel like I should try and squeeze a better answer out of him.

I also feel that with fifty questions to go through, it might not be worth it.

I pulled out the next question and frowned. "Midnight?"

"Mm?"

"Minus 37, how many Vexen Replicas are officially on Saix's side?"

Midnight pulled up something on my laptop (when did she get a hold of my laptop!?) and made a face. "Erm, only one."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Why?"

I showed her the question.

She burst out laughing again.

I sighed, shook my head, and summoned my other hat. I dropped the question into it and set the hat aside.

"What was the question?" Demyx asked.

"And why aren't we answering it?" Axel asked.

"It was asked to Vexen Replicas, plural," I explained. "And since there's only one of them who's been officially stated as being on Saix's side, I'm not dragging only _him_ over to answer the question."

"Do- do I not exist?" 37 asked.

"Oh, no, the question's about you."

"Why would there be a question about me?"

"Oh, I don't know," Xigbar's clone said. "But maybe you'll find your answer sitting somewhere about 90 degrees to your left."

37, who knew very well that L was sitting on his left side, glared.

"That isn't funny."

"Who submitted the question?" L demanded.

I ignored her and pulled out the next question from the hat.

Oddly enough, I was just thinking about this question…

I sighed.

See, the thing is, Flightfoot, about your question to Tulip: Tulip ended up getting Rewritten. He _was_ with the Rebellion. See chapter 32 of Can't Escape for further details.

I discarded that question and reached for another one.

"We aren't answering that one, either?" Xigbar asked.

"I knew coming here was going to be boring…" Xaldin muttered.

"The question didn't, technically, concern anyone here," I said, unfolding the next question. I smiled. "So, Shad, does it hurt knowing that you're going to fail? Cookie wants to know."

"He wants to be _strangled_," Shad growled.

"_Someone_ sounds angry," Demyx said.

Shad glared.

"Let's move on to the next question!" I said.

"I'm reading it!" Midnight exclaimed, grabbing the hat from me before I had a chance to pick a question.

Uh-oh, she picked one of Cookie's ridiculously long questions.

"So, to the Organization from Cookie," Midnight read. "'If all you have left of hearts are your memories, then what is the memory that makes you 'feel' the most? Basically, what's your strongest memory from when you were a Somebody?'"

"Deep," Axel said.

"All of his questions are like this," I replied.

"I'll go first!" Demyx said. "My first school recital, back when I was a kid. Everyone laughed at me because I played the sitar instead of a slightly more 'normal' instrument. Of course, three minutes later people were lining up to get my autograph because they were so amazed." He grinned.

"Goodness," Midnight said, staring. "He suddenly reminds me of Mr. Rand-"

"Don't say his name!" I warned. "He'll show up and then we'll never be able to get this back on track!"

"Who's next?" Demyx asked.

"We should just go in a circle so we don't miss anyone," Midnight said. "He's next." She pointed at Xigbar.

"Well, it's lucky I thought of something, then," Xigbar said. "Originally, I had no clue what I was going to say, but I just remembered – I used to go monster hunting when I was kid. My parents thought I was crazy."

"Monster hunting?" Xigbar's clone asked.

"You don't know everything about me."

"How is that possible? I'm you're _clone!_"

"That's your strongest memory?" Demyx seemed surprised.

"Sure."

"My turn," Axel sighed. He smiled, then, and turned to Saix. "Remember that one girl's birthday we crashed?"

"Which girl?"

"The younger one."

Oh my gosh, was that a _smile_ on Saix's face? Saix, you can't smile! That complicates things!

"I remember that."

Axel grinned. "_That_ was fun."

"Saix, what's yours?" Midnight asked.

"I'm going to second what Axel brought up," Saix said.

"He's just too lazy to come up with something of his own," Demyx complained.

"You weren't at that that party, though," Axel laughed. "There's good reason why it's my strongest memory."

"Your turn," Xigbar pointed at Xaldin.

"Of all things…" he muttered. "Jenna…" There was an almost wistful sound to his voice.

"Who?" Luxord asked.

"I know that look," L said. "He had a girlfriend."

"Ages ago," Xaldin said, with a wave of his hand. "Don't even know why I thought of her."

"She obviously still means something to- ow!" L turned to glare at 37, who had elbowed her in the ribs. "What was that for!?"

"Not business we need to be sticking her noses in," he told her.

"Fine…" she grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Luxord, that leaves you," I said, turning to him.

He was grinning.

"First time I won a game of cards."

"This seems to have turned out to be less of 'strongest memories' and more like 'fondest memories'," Shad said. "Which is odd, because happiness isn't necessarily the strongest emotion."

"It's the only one people like to remember, though," Demyx pointed out.

Shad shrugged.

I grabbed the hat from Midnight and pulled out the next question. I frowned. I'd already answered this question. Curious, I rummaged through my basket of discarded questions until I found the other piece of paper that had this question on it. It took me all of ten seconds. And, indeed, they both said the same exact thing.

How the heck had I managed to write the question down twice without noticing?

Ah well.

I discarded the question.

"How many are we going to skip?" Luxord asked, eyebrows raised in amusement.

"We'd already answered this question," I explained. I picked out a different question. I considered it for a second, then started rummaging around in the hat.

"_Now_ what?" Axel asked.

"I want to find magik's version of this question," I explained. "It's a lot funnier."

Of course, magik's version happened to be at the bottom of the hat…

Oh well, I had it now.

"37!"

Given the look on his face, 37 already knew what came next.

"Direct quote from magik," I continued. It was hard not to laugh. "'WHAT THE HECK DO YOU SEE IN L!?'"

Midnight fell over laughing again.

Demyx laughed, too.

Axel snorted.

Everyone else seemed amused in some way.

Except Saix. Saix just seemed annoyed.

"Are all my questions like this?" 37 asked after a long pause.

"No," I said. "I think you have… one that isn't-"

"Right." He sighed.

"Do you want KKBeckett's version of the question?" I asked.

"How is it any different?"

"She didn't shout. She only asked 'why do you like L?'."

37 made a face. "Uhm… is it bad that I can't think of anything?" L glared at him. He shifted slightly. "I mean, I have a reason," he said hastily. "But I can't think of how to say it and you're all staring at me and…" He threw a glance over at L, who was still glaring at him. "And _you're_ not helping!"

I felt kind of bad now.

Ugh…

"Do want us to move on to another question and come back to this?" I asked. "So you can think about your answer?"

"If that wouldn't be problem."

"I'd rather it than waste time because we're waiting for you to finish stalling," I told him, pulling out a question. It was one of Cookie's long ones. I suppose that was a good thing… "Okay, Axel, Cookie asks: 'I know rar doesn't want Roxas back, but your lack of drive to bring him back is appalling – especially compared to the other universe. What is wrong with you!?'"

"Comforting… he thinks there something wrong with me," Axel muttered. "See… Roxas is _dead. _I don't see how I'm supposed to bring him back. I mean, what did I do – or _an_ Axel do – to try and bring him back?"

"Tried to turn Sora into a Heartless," Midnight said.

"That helps me _how_?" Axel asked. "Roxas was a Replica here. And he was _killed._" An angry look in Saix's direction accompanied this.

"Technically, there are ways to-"

"37, you're stalling!"

"Is he saying we can bring Roxas back?" Demyx asked, sounding excited. (Or as excited as Nobody could sound… I suppose…)

"You don't know how much work it'd require," I sighed. "Cookie, I have good reasons why I'm not bringing Roxas back. It's not that I just don't want to, it's that it's practically _impossible_."

"But it's possible?" Luxord said.

"Yes," I admitted. "It's as easy as pie to create another Replica that looks and behaves exactly like Roxas did. But getting him to have all the memories that he had and all that… _well…_" I shifted slightly. "That's where we start hitting problems. I can't do what magik did with bringing Xion back. No one has enough memories of Roxas for that to work properly. I mean, everyone has scraps of memory with him in it, and it could be done, but there are a lot of things that could go wrong." I let out a breath. "Besides, I can't bring him back if I'm not bringing Xion back, and memories of her are lacking, considering the only person she talked to was Roxas."

"But it's possible?" It was Axel who asked this time.

"Yes," I said again.

"Not without both halves of the Program," Saix interrupted. "We cannot create any new Replicas without the part of the Program that remains in Castle Oblivion."

"That too," I said.

"But if we did get that back, there'd be a chance," Axel said.

"Yes."

Oh… I don't like where this headed.

I could hear Axel's thoughts churning. He knew that it didn't really matter _who_ had both halves of the Program; just as long as the two halves were together, either side of the Rebellion would be willing to try and Rebuild Roxas. He also knew that he was in the perfect position to turn the tides in either side's favor.

The question only really came down to which side he'd rather help more.

Or, more accurately, which side was more likely to be able to successfully Rebuild Roxas.

I had to change the subject; move on to the next question before Axel got any more ideas.

"37! You done stalling yet?" I called.

"No, let him stall," Axel said. "You're _honestly_ saying that we could bring Roxas back?"

"So long as the Program was whole, yes."

I felt like I had said that before.

And even if I hadn't, it really didn't matter, because Axel already knew the answer. He was just asking to keep the conversation moving, so that he could keep gleaning information.

"It sounds like we just need to get the Program back, then," Xigbar said.

"That's what I'm _trying_ to do," Saix replied.

"Maybe you should try something else; a different strategy, perhaps?" Luxord suggested.

"Oi!" I shouted. "No strategy planning here! If you want to discuss strategy and the possibilities of bringing Roxas back, we can do that _later!_ We've done enough of it here, and we still have thirty questions to wade through. I am not going to sit here and let you spend the next hour arguing about this. We are _done!_"

Midnight slowly ducked behind the couch.

Shad started laughing.

I ignored them both. "37?"

37 grumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that?"

"He says he's embarrassed," L said.

I groaned and rubbed my head. My patience was really wearing thin. "Fine, why don't _you_ answer the question?"

She frowned. "What question?"

"KKBeckett asked you the same question. Why do you like 37?"

L paled.

37 laughed. "Ha! Not so easy, is it?"

She whacked him.

Despite myself, I smiled slightly.

"Do you have an answer to the question or not?" Demyx asked. "Either of you."

"Well…"

"37!" I shouted. "Stop stalling! This has gone on long enough! I do not care how awkward or embarrassing this is for you, just _answer the darn question!_"

"You might want to listen to her," Midnight advised, not moving from her hiding spot.

Shad was practically in hysterics now.

"I- uh- she…" 37 got quiet. "She's not like the other Larxene Replicas. The rest of them are obnoxious and always getting in the way… but she's… not like that…"

L glared. "You stalled just for _that!?_"

"What are you going to come up with?"

"Something better than _that! _Actually—no." L folded her arms across her chest and turned away from him. "_No. _I _was_ going to say something about you being sweet and actually caring about me, because, y'know, no one actually _cares_ about me, but! No! _No_! You don't deserve that. So I'm just going to say that you aren't weird like the other Vexen Replicas."

"Now, L-"

"Don't bother! That's my answer. You're not as weird as the other Vexen Replicas."

Midnight poked me.

"Sneeze, you're smiling," she said.

I quickly stopped smiling. "No I'm not."

She groaned. "Oh, and I thought you were _kidding_ about the—"

I ignored her and reached for the next question. Finally, we could move on! "Alright, everyone, Flightfoot asks what you think of 37 and L's relationship."

Demyx opened his mouth to answer, but Midnight shushed him.

"Nuh-uh! Sneeze ain't getting off that easy! She answers first!"

I turned to Midnight.

"Why?"

"Well, everyone has to answer the question, but more importantly-" she jabbed me in the ribs. "You were smiling!"

"Fine. Okay. Usually my thoughts about them are 'Eugh that is so nasty how the heck did I let you two get together in my head!?' However…" I made a face. "There is, admittedly, a part of me who thinks they're sort of kind of cute in their own… …odd way." I threw Midnight an annoyed look. "Happy?"

"Yes."

"And what do you think?"

"Hmm…" Midnight was silent for a moment. "For starters, I think I understand why Edd left the room. But… besides that, I got nothing. I haven't been around them enough." She turned to Luxord. "You're next in the circle."

Luxord shuffled his deck of cards thoughtfully. "I think… that they just need to learn to play their cards right."

"No comment," Xaldin said. "This is the closest I've been to either of them since they got together."

"I think they're wasting their time," Saix muttered.

L practically jumped to her feet. "_Wasting_ our-"

37 quickly grabbed her by the arm. "Not now!" he hissed. "Do you want to be killed?"

I decided that I wouldn't point out the fact that neither of them could possibly be killed in this situation since it was out of story.

"Axel?" I asked.

"I question 37's sanity," Axel said. "I mean, he's really only asking for a world of hurt by growing attached to her. We all know that Riku's going to eventually kill every Larxene Replica in existence." He cast a glance at 37. "And don't you dare tell me that you for some reason think that you'll miraculously be able to keep her alive."

"I can try."

"Yup. And that'll last about… until Riku's extremely pissed at her. Just saying."

"I like that answer," Xigbar's clone said. "Now… what do _I-_"

"Ohmigosh!" Midnight gasped. "We skipped him!" She pointed at Shad.

"Damn, hoping you wouldn't notice." Shad sighed. "Alright… For the most part, I think they're absolutely hilarious. _Especially_ considering he's got this pathetic almost puppy-dog-like love for her, and she-" He laughed. "And she-"

"Can he read our thoughts?" L asked.

"Not all of them!" Shad replied, grinning. "Just the darker ones. Which, by the way, there are quite a few of _those_ inside your head. And…" He started laughing again. "And _you-_"

"Shad!" I said, warningly.

"_What!?_"

"Detrimental to the plot!"

"How the hell is this detrimental to the plot?"

"It is. Just shut up so we can move along."

"Now, back to what _I_ think of the two of them," Xigbar's clone said. "Eh… amusing. And ridiculous at times. What about you?" He turned to Xigbar.

Xigbar laughed. "Amusing, definitely."

"'Amusing?'" L muttered.

37 shrugged. "I don't see why what he thinks matters…"

"Demyx! You're turn!" Midnight said.

"I think it's kind of sweet," Demyx said.

Everyone turned to him with varying levels of shock/confusion (minus Shad, who I think had just stopped really caring about all of this).

"What?" Demyx asked. "With the whole almost 'forbidden love' aspect of it, and the fact he's going out of his way to keep her from being killed, and that he's considering her before his job. It's… sweet. I think it's sweet."

Axel rolled his eyes. "You would."

Demyx shrugged, innocently.

"Next question!" I said, reaching for the hat.

Wait… where'd it go?

"I read!" Midnight declared.

Of course.

She pulled out a question and frowned. "Uhh… Sneeze?"

I looked over at the question. Ah. It was one of the Xemnas questions. I took it from her and put it in the other hat. Midnight grumbled and pulled out a different question.

"Luxord," she said. "Magik asks 'How's life in…'" She turned to me. "What's this abbreviation?"

I looked. "Oh. The World that Never Was."

"Ah." Midnight turned back to Luxord. "How's life in the World that Never Was?"

"Quiet, for the most part," he replied. "Nothing interesting happens anymore."

I snatched the hat back from Midnight and chose a question.

"Saix. Flightfoot asks: 'If Axel betrayed the Organization, what would you do?'"

"Why would I betray the Organization?" Axel asked.

"Because, that's what you've done in practically every other universe," I said.

He shot a glare at me. "Is that really information that you should be revealing?"

"I said it's what's happened in most other places. That doesn't mean it's going to happen here." I turned to Saix before Axel could argue anymore. "Your answer?"

"He'd be killed, like all the other traitors," Saix said plainly.

"Thought it'd be something like that…" Axel sighed.

"That's harsh!" Demyx protested.

"Yes, but necessary," Xaldin argued.

"Oh…" Demyx muttered. "Right."

_Like Lexaeus…_

I sat up a bit straighter. I hadn't been paying attention enough to pick up _who_ thought that (though I'd assume it was Demyx), but the thought was clear enough.

"_Like Lexaeus…_"

So… he was dead?

I mean, I'd had my suspicions about that for a while now, but…

"Just for clarification, Lexaeus is dead?" I asked.

There was a general agreement among the room.

"Right…"

I'd worry about _how_ exactly he had died later.

"Midnight, you can read the next question," I said, handing her the hat.

"Axel. Flightfoot asks: 'Who do you care about more: Roxas and Xion or Saix?'"

Axel was silent for a moment. I could hear his thoughts reeling, though.

"I don't suppose I could pass on this question…"

I shook my head. "I've only let Sora pass on a question so far, and that's just because he's – well, he's Sora and almost had a panic attack trying to answer it."

Shad snickered.

"I suppose not answering the question wouldn't have been smart, anyway…" Axel sighed. "Alright, well… as a Nobody, it's not like I can technically care about anything, but, technicalities aside-" He paused, then groaned. "I sound like _Vexen._ Ugh. How is that possible? He's dead, and I haven't been anywhere near his Replicas… Okay. I suppose I enjoyed spending time with Roxas; Xion… I didn't talk to her frequently, honestly. And I know me and Saix were friends back when we were Somebodies, but…"

Saix raised his eyebrows. "But?"

Axel shrugged. "Just but." He shrugged again. "Things have changed, I guess."

"Let's move on," I said, taking the hat from Midnight and picking a question. I frowned for a moment. This one was going to be fun (not) to answer, I could tell already. "Shad. Psychichshipping asks: 'If you could, would you choose a new life? One where you had a chance with Kairi?'"

"If I could…" he muttered. He was silent for a moment as he mulled it over. He considered his options for a moment – I could sense a lot of thoughts about Kairi, and then… Sora. Slowly, Shad glanced around the room, studying each person as if debating whether or not it would be safe to speak in front of them.

"No," he said, finally. "And not just because that's the answer I _should_ say. But because…" He was silent for a moment, then continued, quietly: "A life with Kairi, while it would be nice, is a life without purpose and a life I could not live." He turned to me, then, a fierce glare on his face. "No one outside this room hears my answer, got it?"

"Of course," I assured him.

Minus the readers, anyway…

But he knew that you all would hear his answer.

I hope.

I pulled out the next question. "Hmm… I don't quite see how this works, as there are only three of you in the room, but… Cookie asks: 'Do Replicas dream?'" I paused, frowned. "Actually, he should know the answer to that… Riku's had dreams – well, nightmares – since the beginning of the series. So, we'll just move on to the next portion of that question, which is: 'what do you dream about?' Unless…" I looked at 37. "You want to get into technicalities?"

"About what? Replicas dreaming? We'd be here for a while."

"Right then. Any of the three of you want to share what you've dreamed about recently?"

"I can't remember the last dream I had…" Xigbar's Clone said.

"Same," 37 said. "I haven't slept recently."

"I had a dream about someone throwing him off a cliff," L said, nodding at 37. "It was… weird."

Both me and Shad burst out laughing.

"What!? What did I say that was funny?" L demanded.

Shad only laughed harder.

"I'm missing something," Midnight sighed.

I nodded, still laughing, and reached for my laptop. I pulled up a document, scrolled down to what me and Shad were thinking about, and then passed the laptop to Midnight. "Ah…" she said, slowly, beginning to read.

Wondering what we're referring to? It's now on my profile. Go read it and enjoy.

Midnight snickered. "He's trying to kill you…"

I smiled and shook my head. "Right, while we're on the subject of dreams, the rest of you! Minus Shad! Do you dream, and if so, what about?"

"'Do we dream?'" Demyx asked. "What sort of question is _that?_"

"I believe it implies that some of us Nobodies _don't_ dream," Xigbar said.

"Dreams are merely our brains trying to make up for the hearts we lack," Xaldin said, in a bored tone.

"So you don't dream?" Demyx asked – the question was directed at Xigbar.

"Don't dream? As if! However, dreams are dreams, and it's not like I remember any of them…"

"What do you dream about?" I asked Demyx.

"Usually something about starting a successful career in music, even though I doubt that's going to ever happen…" He shrugged.

"Axel?"

Axel shrugged. "Sheesh, who seriously remembers the contents of their dreams?" He groaned. "I don't know. I think most of my dreams involve being a Somebody, because I'm pretty sure I have emotions in them, but I honestly don't remember. Though! There was this one I had where this girl had me at gunpoint and she was trying to force me to set fire to this house… I don't remember how it ended, though."

Midnight laughed again.

I glanced over to see what she was laughing at, found it wasn't interesting enough to mention, then turned to Saix.

"What about you?"

"I don't dream," he said plainly.

"Of course," Shad muttered. "Because the all-mighty Saix can't _dream._ He can't be _normal; _oh no. Never. He has to be completely emotionless and inhuman."

We all turned to him.

"What? Most of you were thinking something along those lines!"

"Xaldin?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I can't think of anything."

"Luxord?"

"I had a dream recently where I was playing chess with Demyx," Luxord said. "I lost. Surprisingly."

"I'll say," L muttered.

"Hey!" Demyx protested. "I'm actually not half bad at chess!"

"Hey, Shad," I said. "What about you?"

"Seriously?" he laughed. "Did you _seriously_ ask me that? You should know, better than anyone else, that I don't sleep, and therefore don't dream." He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"What do you dream about?" Axel asked, looking at me. "Since we've asked nearly everyone."

I let out a long breath. "Most of my dreams are some cross between a video game, real life, and my fic…"

"Your fic's about a video game, Sneeze," Midnight said, not even looking up.

"That doesn't stop my dreams from mashing it together with the Legend of Zelda." I sighed. "Next question!" I pulled one out. It was for Xemnas. I placed it in the other hat and reached for a different question. Oh, of course, _there's_ the question about the Organization members dreaming. I discarded it. The next question, thankfully, we could answer. "37! Flightfoot asks you: 'How do you feel about Vexen's death?'"

"Nothing in particular," 37 said. "He died. The Program moved on. It's not like things are necessarily better or worse now. The only difference I really see is that there won't be as many random experiments conducted, and more time will be spent actually _doing_ things, but…"

"Only difference?" L asked.

He shot her an annoyed look. "Only difference relevant to the question, but I didn't feel the need to specify that."

I rolled my eyes and reached for the next question.

"Shad, Cookie asks you: 'Why don't you try using the Organization to your advantage? I'm sure you could manipulate them to help you beat Sora…' He then questions why he's helping you."

"I doubt that he'd be able to manipulate any of us," Luxord muttered, laying his cards out in front of him (on thin air, might I add) for a game of solitaire (though I couldn't really tell from where I was).

"I'd love to argue," Shad said. "But… he's right. They all lack hearts. I can't touch them – figuratively, not sure about literally. I mean that I can't affect them, manipulate them, do any of the things I _normally_ do to 'use' people." He shrugged. "If I could, though, I'm sure I'd try. Now…" He turned thoughtfully in the direction of 37 and L. "Some of the Replicas…"

"You wouldn't dare," 37 said.

"Mm?" Shad raised his eyebrows. "I wouldn't, would I?" He made a small tugging motion with his fingers, and 37 gasped in pain.

"What did you do!?" L asked.

"Oh, nothing _harmful,_" Shad said. "He's surprisingly not very dark. Now…" He made the same tugging motion.

"I actually don't-" L began, then quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened in fury.

"Damn… didn't pull hard enough…"

"What'd you try and make her do?" Axel asked, grinning.

"Admit a dark secret." Shad shrugged. "I'll have to try harder next time."

"Let's move onto the next question…" I said, slowly, pulling a question from the hat.

It was a rather large piece of paper. I unfolded it, expecting it to be from Cookie, but was surprised to see it was from magik. Technically, it was addressed to Xemnas, but I felt like the answer I would get here would be… more amusing, I suppose.

"Alright," I said. "I'm technically supposed to ask Xemnas this question, but seeing as he's not here…"

"Why are you asking it, then?" Luxord asked, picking up a card, studying it, then placing aside.

"Yes, I thought you had set aside questions for the Superior to ask him later," Xaldin said, glancing over at Luxord.

"Because I think it requires input from more than just him," I told them plainly, and read: "'Who's idea was it to give the Replica Program to Saix? Or did you seriously think that it was a _good_ idea to practically sentence all the Replicas to death – since we all know how much Saix _hates_ Replicas.'"

"Again, I lack a heart to hate them with," Saix said, though he sounded tense.

"Doesn't really change anything, though," 37 muttered.

"I feel like we need 4 here for this," I said. "He had that _nice_ rant about this whole situation. That aside, what do the rest of you say?"

"Well, it's not like we really had a choice," Xigbar said. "Everyone else is dead!"

"Not everyone," Demyx pointed out.

"So _you_ plan on taking over the Replica Program, then?" Axel asked.

"N-no! I wasn't saying _that! _But- but Luxord could've-"

"I wasn't asked," Luxord said, not even looking up.

"Xaldin's too busy doing other things," Xigbar said. "_I_ don't want to be in charge of the Replica Program; it's not my, eh, _forte_, I guess. Same with Axel over there."

Axel shrugged. "Not really, no."

"So the Program was left to Saix," Demyx said. "I get it."

"Next question, then," I said. I unfolded it-

Of course.

"Midnight, I need my computer. Shad get over here."

"Why?" they asked in almost perfect unison.

"Because it's much easier to have you just read the question Cookie asked you than say it all aloud. Trust me," I said.

Midnight begrudgingly handed my laptop over, and I pulled up the question.

Now, since this was given to me in a PM, I'll have to post it here for the rest of you to read.

_Shad, at one point you seemed completely love struck by Kairi. At this point I almost felt sorry for you, like it wasn't your fault for being born into the role you now play. It's sad thinking about how things could have been different. I mean who is to say a 'shadow' has to be evil? Doesn't Real Thing prove well enough that using darkness does not make you evil? There's a far bigger threat out there, and while I have asked why you don't just work with the Organisation, there's also the question, WHY DON'T YOU DROP YOUR CHILDISH GAMES WITH SORA!? You are the shadow of the most forgiving person in that universe and every other! While it would be completely out of character, you could just work with Sora. You're not a big fan of Ansem... Neither is Sora. I don't even know why you're fighting! Why do you need to taunt him and make his life hell! You're his dark side, not his evil! While the darkness may harbour more negative emotions, your time with Kairi clearly shows it holds far more than that. _

_Now Rar, I'd appreciate if he saw this entire paragraph, as it's not so much of a question... but me wanting to see what his reaction to all this is? I fear, Shad will just laugh and wipe away any thoughts of there being some hope for him. If you do Shad, then I know you will fail. _

"Colin has a few things to say about this," Shad said after a moment.

Nice way to avoid the question, Shad. Point out that one of my OCs agrees with a good portion of the paragraph. Nice.

"And what do you have to say?" I asked him.

"I don't see how Ansem fits into this, as he's dead."

"Cookie's just making an example; you know perfectly well what he's asking, and you're avoiding the question. Please don't make this as bad as-"

"I'm not going to stall!" Shad interrupted.

"Then answer the question," I said. "It's not like anyone here is going to hold you against your answer. You don't run into any of these people in-story."

"This is a lot of information to process, give me a second to find somewhere to start, will you?"

I rolled my eyes.

Shad sighed.

"Alright, well, I will start with the 'Who is to say a Shadow has to be evil?'" he said. "See, the entire purpose of a Shadow – in the sense that we are using it and in the definition of what I am – is to drag their… hosts, I guess you could call them, back into darkness. I don't, honestly, have another choice. He's under the notion that things could've turned out differently, that it 'isn't my fault for being born into the role that I play', but-"

"Shad." I hated to interrupt him, but I couldn't have him go off on some side-tangent that only applied to my head-canon.

I didn't have to explain why I was interrupting him, thankfully. He caught the drift.

"But that's not true," he finished. "I'm not necessarily saying that I chose this role, no, but that doesn't mean I can rebel against it. My entire existence is tailored to dragging Sora into darkness – if I abandon that, I might as well just cease to exist entirely." He paused, as he glanced over the paragraph again. He rolled his eyes. "'Childish games?' They aren't—they aren't childish. I'm just trying to put a little _fun_ into my otherwise boring existence."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Hang on, lot of information to process! Didn't I already tell you that?" He shook his head. "Let's see… I could comment on the 'I'm Sora's dark side, not his evil', however… the only thing to say about it is that, while that's true, it doesn't change my existence. I still have to drag Sora into darkness. It's what I exist to do."

Hmm, I could point out to him that he _is _commenting on that, but then I'd interrupt his rant.

"It's all I want: seeing Sora finally plunged into the deepest darkness, knowing that I had been the one who had dragged him there, knowing that I was the reason he'd never see light again—" He paused. "Of course… I want other things, too…"

Like… Kairi, for example…

"But to get them, I'd have to abandon dragging Sora into darkness; abandon my purpose. And I couldn't do that." He shook his head. "I couldn't. I'd never be able to live with myself. More importantly, I'd never be able to truly abandon it, which means I would never be able to truly live a different life." He was silent a moment more, then he smirked. "Now, I hope he notices that I did _not_ just laugh this all off. I don't know what he means by 'there being hope for me'. If he means hope that I'll turn out being 'good', then he can forget that. My existence denies me that option. Yes, it's sad, _sure,_ I guess you can cry for me – though I absolutely despise sympathy – but I can't give up dragging Sora into darkness, especially not to _help _him."

We all stared at him for a moment.

"That's it," he said, going back to his wall.

"Deep…" Midnight whispered.

I nodded in agreement.

"We going to move on to the next question?" Axel asked.

I nodded and pulled one out. "Saix. Psychicshipping asks: 'Why don't you care about Axel anymore?!'"

"Aha!" Axel laughed. "I wasn't the only one who had to answer one of these stupid questions."

"Things have changed," Saix said.

"Hey!" Axel glared. "You just stole my answer!"

"It's true, though."

"Next question!" I said, quickly. Sadly, this one wasn't much better… "Saix. Cookie asks: 'Do any of your memories of when you had a heart bother you?' He then admits that he's sure Nobodies can't really be bothered, so don't bother bringing that up."

"No, they don't 'bother' me."

I wasn't going to force him to elaborate. There were too many questions left to sift through.

"He then asks 'Do your memories of your time with Lea as a Somebody ever come up?'"

"From time to time…"

"Next question," I said, grabbing one.

Really?

It was another question to Saix.

We, apparently, could not avoid this subject.

"Saix, again." I sighed. "Flightfoot asks: 'were you keeping Toby around because he reminded you of Axel?'"

"I suppose that was part of it," Saix said.

More like all of it, and I doubt there was any "suppose" to it.

"See? He does still… kind of care about me," Axel said.

I grabbed another question. "Demyx!" Finally, someone different. "Flightfoot asks: 'Do you ever play poker with Luxord?'"

I could see Luxord smile slightly.

"Yes! And I always lose!" Demyx said.

I nodded, shrugged sympathetically, and then grabbed the next question. I nearly groaned. We _really _couldn't seem to avoid this subject…

"Axel," I said. "Flightfoot asks: 'If you could've stopped Saix from killing Roxas, but at the price of the Organization wanting your head on a pike, would you have done it?'"

"If I could've…" Axel muttered to himself. "Huh." He was silent a moment more. "Y'know, I don't think the Organization would've wanted my head on a pike. We did lose our only Keyblade wielder that day, and there were certainly better ways that Roxas could've been dealt with."

"This is a hypothetically situation, however," 37 pointed out. "So you should probably answer it based on the situation given to you."

Wow, way to _really_ sound like Vexen, 37.

Axel rolled his eyes. "I suppose, _if_ I had been there, I probably would've tried to stop Saix. Again, there were better ways that Roxas could've been dealt with."

I could feel the air growing tense. I reached for the next question and prayed it got us off the subject of Axel and Saix's not-entirely-friendly relationship. Thankfully, it did. Sorta.

"Next question!" I announced. "Xigbar, Flightfoot wants to know what the Organization's doing. As 'only Saix and the Replicas under his control appear to be doing anything right now'."

"What, do they just assume we're doing nothing?"

"Well, you are, really, just doing nothing…" Midnight muttered.

"It's just because we lack a Keyblade wielder, with Roxas gone," Xigbar said. "I mean, there's Sora, but he's not really a reliable person, given his issues with the darkness and all."

"There are those other Keyblade wielders, though," Xigbar's clone pointed out.

"That's right! I tried to tell Xemnas about them, but he got all weird about the matter, so we never decided what we were going to do with them…"

"I think that's answer enough…" I said slowly. It seemed like one. Maybe I was just getting too tired to care… "Next question, then."

"Can I read?" Midnight asked.

I shrugged and handed her the hat.

She pulled a question out, and then laughed. "Looks like we really can't avoid the subject!" She showed it to me.

It was another one to Saix.

I sighed.

"Saix!" Midnight said. "KKBeckett asks: 'Why do you hate everyone?'"

"I don't hate everyone…"

"It sure seems like you do, sometimes, though," Xigbar said. "Just saying."

Saix tensed.

"He's probably just annoyed that things haven't been turning out the way he – or anyone else – wants them to," Demyx said.

"Let's just move on!" I said. I pulled out the next question. It was for Xemnas. I sighed and put it in the other hat. Though… it reminded me of something. "Midnight," I said, reaching for another question. "Can you tell Aqua that we need to finish that scene?"

"What am I? Your secretary?"

I shrugged. "Well if you're going to be sitting here, you might as well make yourself useful."

"I'm not a secretary!"

"Just tell Aqua we need to finish the scene." I unfolded the paper. "Ahg… another one for Saix. Ah well… Alright, Saix, Flightfoot wants to know if you consider Joseph a threat."

"A threat? No. But a nuisance, definitely."

Well, that didn't go as bad as I thought it would…

I reached for another question.

I ended up pulling out four. I turned to Midnight and held out the four to her. "Pick one." She grabbed one, and I discarded the rest.

"Xiggy's-" she began.

"Xigbar's," I corrected.

Midnight rolled her eyes. "Xigbar's clone. KKBeckett wants to know if there's any particular reason why you're called 'clone' and not 'Replica'."

Xigbar's clone thought for a minute. "Nah, not really."

I pulled out a new question, and groaned. Yet another one for Saix. Feeling like we'd already answered some variation of the question already, I discarded it and picked a different question. "Demyx," I said.

"Yup?"

"Magik asks: 'ever put a whoopee cushion under someone in Where Nothing Gathers?'"

"No! But I should've!"

Nice magik. You just gave him ideas.

"Next question," I sighed, picking one. "L! Psychicshipping wants to know why you're so evil/sadistic."

"Me in particular?"

"No, it was directed at any Larxene, but you're the only one in the room, so…"

"Hmm…" She made a face, thinking about it. "I think it just comes with being a Larxene Replica. That's the way the original Larxene was, and so all the Replicas of her, inevitably, end up being sadistic in some-" She paused, and the face she made now was almost disgusted. "I sound like _you_!" she said, horrified, as she turned to 37.

He raised his eyebrows. "That's a problem?"

She made gagging noises.

He laughed.

Midnight jabbed me in the ribs. "You're smiling again!"

"Shut up!" I quickly grabbed the next question before she could say anymore. "You two!" I said, pointing at Xigbar and his clone. "Psychicshipping wants to know how you tell each other apart."

In perfect unison, they replied: "We don't."

I pulled out the next question, and couldn't help but smile. "Uh-oh. Guess what question it is?"

Midnight laughed. "I know that face! The embarrassing moment question, huh?"

I nodded.

She grinned.

I could hear Shad laughing.

"Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go," Demyx said. "The time I tripped down the stairs."

"That happens frequently," Xaldin pointed out.

"Yeah, I know!" Demyx argued, frowning. "But this time I knocked down three Larxene Replicas and a Marluxia Replica doing so."

I cringed.

"You're turn!" Midnight said, pointing at Xigbar.

"I shot myself in the eye once," Xigbar said. "It was the bad eye, so it's not like it did any damage, but I still shot myself in the eye."

Xigbar's clone frowned. "Hmm… That game of Twister Demyx roped me into."

Demyx grinned. "Which one?"

"All of them."

Demyx's grin quickly became a frown. "Oh."

"Do I have to go again?" Axel asked.

"Yes please," Midnight said, smiling devilishly. "_Everyone_ has to answer."

I shook my head.

"Well, like I said before, there was this one time where a Larxene Replica tried flirting with me. There."

"What do you mean 'before'?" Luxord asked.

"He was at the last one of these," I explained.

"Why?" L asked.

Axel grinned. "'Cause I've got fans!"

Wow, Axel.

"Lame!" Midnight said. "You used the same one as last time!"

"But most people usually only have one most embarrassing moment," Demyx pointed out.

"But he admitted last time that it was more annoying than it was embarrassing, and he's had _all this time_ to think of something actually embarrassing!" Midnight argued.

Axel rolled his eyes. "Fine. The time Xion pulled a Keyblade on me. His turn." He pointed at 37.

37 shifted slightly.

"Earlier in this stupid thing," he muttered. "When you asked why I liked L and… all that…"

"_Really?_" L asked. "What about-"

37 raised his eyebrows. "That? That was more annoying than it was-"

"It was _embarrassing._"

"Okay. It was embarrassing."

Clearly, he didn't think it worth it to argue.

"What are you two talking about?" Midnight asked.

"When Toby walked in on us," 37 said, simply.

"Walked in on- what were you-"

"You don't want to know," I interrupted.

Midnight threw me an annoyed look that quickly became disgust as she finished thinking the thought through.

"Yeah… Saix! Your turn!"

"Shortly after Roxas's destruction…" he muttered.

Xaldin smiled. "Ah, fitting," he said.

Xigbar laughed. "Oh yeah, Xemnas was pretty steamed about that, wasn't he?"

"You got yelled at?" Axel asked, smirking.

Saix tensed.

"Heh. Serves you right. I keep saying Roxas didn't need to die." Axel turned to me. "Speaking of, rar-"

"_Later_, Axel," I said, frowning. We weren't going to get started on that argument again, were we? "We have seven questions after this, and I'd like to be done!"

"Fine…"

"Xaldin's turn!" Midnight said.

Xaldin sighed. "When I somehow managed to fall asleep in Vexen's room instead of my own."

"Let me guess," Xigbar's clone said, before Luxord could even open his mouth. "The only time you lost a game of cards."

"In my defense," Luxord argued. "The Dusk was cheating. It had three of its friends looking over my shoulder the entire time."

L burst out laughing. "Sorry!" she gasped, quickly trying to compose herself. "But- but you lost to a _Dusk?_"

"It wasn't even a proper game of cards."

"Shad?" Midnight asked.

He raised his eyebrows. "Do I have to answer again?"

"I made Axel do it," I told him.

He shrugged. "I tripped once. It did horrors to my dignity."

Everyone (except me, who had been expecting that answer) stared at him.

"Is he serious?" Demyx asked.

"He's serious," I sighed. "Midnight, your turn."

"I fell out of a tree once, because I was too excited to see one of my friends—I was the laughing stock at school for a total of three hours! It was _awful_."

I frowned. "What happened to-" I paused. It wasn't worth it. If Midnight wanted to change her most embarrassing moment every five minutes, she was certainly free to do so.

"That leaves you, Sneeze," Midnight said.

I groaned. "When someone got me ranting and I ended up talking so fast that my words just stopped making sense. Now let's move on." I reached for the next question. I frowned at it; I didn't write down who had asked it. I handed it to Midnight. "Look up who asked this for me, will you?"

"I'm not your secretary!"

"You have my laptop," I told her plainly, reaching for another question that I could ask while she did that. "Magik, I feel you should know the answer to this question… but… Saix! Why do you care so much about the Replica Program?"

"Because it's his fault we don't have it anymore," Xaldin said. "Isn't that right?"

"'Because we need it' is the more appropriate answer," Saix said.

"Mmm…" I said. "Midnight, who asked the question?"

"Flightfoot. And I'm reading it." She cleared her throat. "Everyone! Flightfoot wants to know what you think of the Rebellion."

"I think it's been going on for a ridiculously long time," Demyx said.

"I don't see why we're still bothering with them," Xigbar said.

"The Program," his clone reminded him.

"Ah. Right. Don't see why we need that, either. There's like three other perfectly good Keyblade wielders running about that we could use to our advantage."

"I agree with him," Xigbar's clone said.

"I think it's gone too far…" Axel muttered.

"They're annoying…" 37 sighed.

"I think they're better off dead," L said.

"The Rebellion needs to be stopped," Saix said.

"I have other things to worry about," Xaldin said.

"Has anyone stopped to wonder about the fact that the Rebellion might actually be more of a threat than they seem?" Luxord asked. "Riku especially. Maybe we should just leave them alone."

"I agree," Axel said. "If you play with fire, you're going to get burned."

"But we need the Program," Saix argued.

"I don't think we do…" Xigbar muttered.

"Yes, I'm sure we need the Program," Axel said. "But Riku's killed half our ranks and a large chunk of the Replicas. Maybe it _would_ be best to leave him alone."

"Are you defending him?" Saix asked.

"No. I'm suggesting we do the smart thing."

"Hey, Axel, hate to burst your bubble," Demyx said. "But that 'smart thing' means that we can't get Roxas back."

Axel frowned. "Of course it does…"

"We could always give them the Program and in return they'd bring Roxas back," Demyx suggested. "Wouldn't that work?"

"I don't think we're all going to agree to give up the Program that easily," 37 said.

"And I think we should move onto the next question!" I said, raising my voice. I quickly grabbed the next question. "Shad! KKBeckett says: 'You're seriously most freaked out by the Namine sharing a body with Kairi thing?'"

He made a face. "We're still on that?"

"I don't understand your 'still' but, I guess. You have an answer?"

"I suppose it wasn't the _freakiest_ thing in her head," Shad admitted. "I mean, there was Ansem and- wait. That's Real Thing's head. Sorry. Uhm… some of the details concerning how she could Rewrite people's memories were slightly disturbing. I don't know. There was a lot going on then, between Real Thing threatening me, Sora being a pain, the Memory Witch being utterly annoying, and trying to bug Riku… I don't remember. The things I remember most from her head have to do with Riku, because I was getting memories from both of them, so the images were pretty clear." He shrugged.

"Right." I reached for the next question. "Axel. Psychicshipping asks: 'Do you think your ability to control fire comes from you being a pyromaniac as Lea? Or is there another reason?'"

Axel shrugged. "I got no clue."

I was too tired to press the issue.

"Next question," I yawned. Boy, I was ready to be done with this. "Ah, I was wondering when this one would show up! 37 and L, Flightfoot asks: 'How did you two first meet, when was your first kiss, and what was your first date?'"

"Wow," Midnight said.

I ignored her.

"Well-" 37 began.

"It was ages ago," L interrupted. "When we first met. It was in the Grey Area. I yelled at you because you were on my couch."

"Really?"

"You don't remember that?"

37 shook his head. "You sure that was me?"

"Positive."

37 shrugged. "Alright. When was our first kiss?"

"Shortly after G's death, wasn't it?"

For those of you who don't remember, G was the Larxene Replica who first suggested the idea of kidnapping Namine. See chapter 38 of Dead Inside for that, and then chapter 43 for her death. She, L, and Q (who will be introduced in Dead Inside in… about 2 chapters or ch126) were good friends. Anywho.

"Yeah," L said. "I was upset, and-"

"You were the one who kissed me," 37 interrupted.

L sighed. "Yeah. I was."

"Alright, last part of that question?" I asked.

"What was it?" 37 asked.

"What was your first date."

Silence.

"Well… uhh…" 37 said, scratching his head.

L glared.

"We haven't been on one," she explained.

"There hasn't been time!" 37 argued. "I mean, if you want, when we're done here, we can-"

I glanced over the three remaining questions. "Actually, you can go now if you'd like."

"What?" 37 asked.

"Well, there's only three questions left, and none of them are for you. So go. Have fun."

"_Now?_" L asked.

"Yes. Now. I'm kicking you out of my brain. Goodbye."

I waved at them, and they disappeared. I let out a sigh of relief. My brain felt significantly better with them gone. "Hey, Midnight," I said. "Go ahead and call Edd; tell him it's safe to come back."

"I'm not your secretary!"

I ignored her and picked up one of the remaining three questions. "Demyx! How hard is it to get people to play Twister with you? Flightfoot wants to know."

"Actually, not as hard as you'd think," Demyx said, smiling.

"Cool." I grabbed the second to last question. Oh, this one.

Flightfoot, hate to poke holes in another question of yours, but the one to Xaldin – well, I just… don't think Xion had a different appearance to whoever looked at her (if you followed that) in my universe. Things ended up not working like that. I think. It's not entirely developed, but at any rate, I'm not asking the question. Sorry.

I discarded the question and picked up the last one. "Okay, last question! Xigbar, KKBeckett wants to know if you like having a clone."

Xigbar grinned. "Wouldn't have one if I didn't like having one."

"GREAT!" I got to my feet. "You can all go back to what you were doing, now. _I_ am going to go take a nap, because that took _forever_ and I am _tired._ See ya!"

And I left before anyone could say anything.

* * *

><p>Alright, now that I've had that nap, time to go interrogate Maleficent!<p>

Well, after school... (which I need to stop procrastinating on)


	31. (DI) Chapter 31

Well, I've needed to post these for a while. Nothing special. Random scenes I wrote for... no particular reason other than they were in my head and I wanted get them out, and the only way to safely do that is to write them down. So... yeah.

These are basically un-edited, by the way, minus a few minor grammatical changes and deletion of parenthetical notes to myself.

* * *

><p>"Well, that worked better than I expected," L muttered, straightening her cloak.<p>

Q stared for a moment.

"Wait a minute…" she said, slowly, and then laughed. "You actually- I- weren't we just joking about that?" She laughed again, not really believing this. "Please tell me you're joking!"

L said nothing, and her face remained completely serious.

Q swallowed, and then stared a bit more.

"G was right," L said, finally. "We aren't really going to get anywhere unless we do something. So I decided to do something about it." She sighed, and then shrugged. "And, you know what, it worked!"

"But-" Q began, and then paused. She was still having trouble believing this. "We were joking."

L rolled her eyes.

"_Something_ had to be done."

"Yeah, but- but 37's soo… weird."

L made a face and turned away.

Q blinked a few times in shock.

"L…" she said, slowly. "You don't actually have feelings for him, do you?"

"What's it matter to you?" L replied, bitterly, and walked off.

Q watched her retreating form, still shocked.

L?

And… 37?

"No… she can't!"

The thought was… insane.

There was no way L actually cared about him!

_But… what if this is only for the reason she originally suggested? _Q couldn't help but wonder. _And she's just…. Doing this for the power it grants her._

Q grimaced.

_Even for a Larxene, this is low!_

"You're… sick, L," she whispered. "Sick."

XXX

"Are you sure that this is such a good idea…?" 37 said, slowly.

L turned to him, a bit surprised. "Axel didn't scare you with his stupid taunts, did he?" she asked, doing her best to avoid sounding too annoyed.

He didn't reply.

She rolled her eyes.

"Not scared of Riku, are you?" She didn't bother to hide her annoyance with this question.

"No," he said, quietly. "I just…" he trailed off.

"Just what?" she asked, reaching out and turning his face towards her.

"I can't lose you."

The look in his eyes was so determined, so fierce, that she had to pull away.

"Oh…" Was all she could say.

There were quite a few emotions running through her, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with any of them.

"Speaking of which," 37 said, slowly. "I need to go work on something that's supposed to be a secret, and if Saix finds out you know about it-"

"Of course," she muttered, hoping that he'd misread her discomfort for just being upset that he had to go or something like that and not for what it really was.

"Don't worry, I'll be back later," he told her, and headed off.

_Oh thank goodness_, she thought, taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. She leaned back against the wall, inwardly cursing herself for being so distraught.

"And how's this working out for you?" someone asked.

She threw a glance over at Q, who leaned against the wall across from her. She tried to think of something to say, but every response she came up with wasn't good enough. Plus, she wasn't sure if she could trust her nerves enough to be able to remain calm. Even if this was only Q, she'd rather not have _anyone_ know about this.

"You didn't see this coming?" Q continued, sounding rather amused.

L only glared.

She still couldn't think of anything to say.

Q slowly glared, too.

"I still think you're sick…" she muttered.

"And why do _you_ have any right to judge!?" L demanded, furious.

Q snorted.

"Look me in the eye then and tell me that you love him," she dared.

L made a face, but looked Q in the eye anyway. Her eyes were cold and serious, making it nearly impossible to lie to her.

L swallowed, and then said bitterly:

"Of course I care about him. If I didn't I wouldn't be feeling this way."

Q laughed.

"What? Didn't expect to fall for him?"

L shook her head.

"No. I just didn't expect him to fall so hard for me."

Q laughed even harder.

"This is what you get!"

L glared.

"_Must_ you rub it in?"

"_You_ were the one who wanted to do this in the first place."

L turned away.

She couldn't argue with that, really.

"I just… I didn't think it would turn out like this," she muttered.

"That's _your_ fault," Q replied.

L sighed.

"Not going to help me?" she asked, turning back to Q, a touch of bitterness in her voice. "What happened to being friends?"

"I could ask you the same."

L made a face.

Q only stared at her.

Then she sighed.

"You want advice?" she said. "If you don't actually care about him, that's your deal. However, he's apparently madly in love with you." She rolled her eyes and muttered something about not believing L went through with this.

L ignored Q's comment. "What should I do?" she asked, not really liking the fact that she was forced to do so. At least Q was being helpful…

Q shrugged.

"Do what you do best; take advantage of it."

L stared.

"I thought you didn't like that idea…"

"I don't, L," Q replied. She sounded rather upset, betrayed, even. Then she sighed and rolled her eyes. "But me not liking it isn't going to change it. So… whatever."

And before L could say anymore, she walked away.

* * *

><p><strong>PLEASE NOTE: <strong>I actually have no clue what 37 is "working" on. I think I just needed an excuse to get him to leave. *shifty glance*


	32. (DI) Extra HB stuff 1

this little scene takes place some time between ch110 and the end of ch111. It's nothing special, just something I wrote in my spare time, stopped writing, then found last night and figured "what the hey? Let's finish this"

So... yeah

(And, yes, I'm aware that I was utterly lazy with the chapter title. But... whatever. After naming over 200 different chapters over the past few years, I'm REALLY getting tired of it, so... boring labels for some of the ASAS chapters! I'll use my creativity on Dead Inside.)

* * *

><p>"Hey, has anyone seen Riku?" Yuffie asked a bit suddenly, pausing in what she was currently doing (throwing a tennis ball against the wall and catching it).<p>

"No…" Tifa replied slowly.

"Nope!" Cid called from the kitchen, where he was doing… something…

"I noticed he was gone earlier," Leon said, glancing up from his book. "I just assumed he was caught up with some Heartless."

"It's been a good ten minutes now," Yuffie said. "Shouldn't he be back by now?"

"Ain't worried about Sora, I see!" Cid laughed.

"I was hoping he'd panicked and left or something," Yuffie admitted. "We'd probably be better without-"

"Yuffie, that's rude," Leon warned.

"It's true," she muttered.

"Do you think something happened to him?" Tifa asked. She sounded a bit worried.

"This is Riku we're talking about," Leon said. "He's probably alright."

"What if he ran into some large Heartless or something?" Tifa asked.

"I'd feel sorry for the Heartless," Cid said.

"Maybe we should go looking for him…"

Yuffie laughed. "Tifa, what's got you so worried?" she asked. "It's just Riku. He'd slaughter _any_ Heartless he ran into, no matter how powerful. Besides, he probably just ditched us and went back home. It's not like he _had_ to stay. For all we know-"

"Sora was with him," Tifa whispered.

Yuffie went silent. Leon slowly looked up from his book. Cid stopped whatever he was doing in the kitchen.

"You don't think that…" Yuffie began, but she couldn't finish.

She didn't need to finish.

They all knew that with Sora's darkness acting up the way it had been, the fact that he and Riku hadn't returned yet _probably_ meant that something had happened. That Sora's Shadow had done something again, or—

"Let's go look for him," Leon said, setting his book down and getting to his feet.

"What about Sora?" Tifa asked.

"Him too. Yuffie, go wake up Aerith! We'll find them sooner if we split up-"

Yuffie nodded and headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"Shouldn't Aerith stay here? In case someone's injured?" Cid asked.

"She still needs to be awake," Leon replied simply. "Now go on! I'll explain the situation to Aerith."

Cid shrugged and made for the door.

"Wait," Tifa said. "What if they're both injured?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… one person can't feasibly help two injured people," Tifa explained. "We should go in pairs."

Leon groaned in exasperation. "We cover less ground that way…" He rubbed his head. "But I guess I see your point. You and Cid start looking. Yuffie and I will go as soon as Aerith is awake. Now go!"

"Alright, alright…" Tifa started for the door. "No need to be snippy."

Cid chuckled as he held the door open for her. She thanked him and stepped outside.

"Where do you think we should start looking?" Cid asked.

Tifa let out a long breath. "Any idea which direction they were headed?"

Cid scratched his chin. "I think I mighta seen them head that direction," he said after a moment, pointing.

Tifa nodded. "Let's go."

XXX

It didn't take them long to find Riku, which, given the position he was in when they found him, Tifa was glad of. Riku was lying unconscious in what she figured was a pool of his own blood. Sora was nowhere to be seen, but Tifa wasn't too worried about that. She rushed to Riku's side and cast a healing spell on him, though she doubted it took any effect with all the darkness that was mixed with this mess. It looked as bad the gash on Sora's face had he had shown up here the night before, though Tifa couldn't actually see the wound itself. Darkness coated the blood, radiated from Riku's body, and was so thick in the air she could almost taste it.

"What're we waitin' for?" Cid asked. "Let's get him to Aerith already!"

"Let me see if I can try and heal him," Tifa said. She didn't want to take him to Aerith – not with all this blood and the darkness. Aerith had already had a nasty scare last night, Tifa didn't need to put her through another one if she didn't have to.

"Are yeh crazy?" Cid demanded. "Look at all this blood; he's nearly _dead. _We need to get him to Aerith."

"But maybe I can-"

"Tifa! You're not _that_ great of a healer an' yeh _know_ it."

"But all the blood… and the darkness…" Tifa argued. "Aerith won't-"

"Aerith knows better than that. She'd feel worse if Riku died, anyway." Cid made his way over. "Now how are we carrying him?"

Tifa looked down at Riku, and frowned. "I guess I could-"

"Never mind," Cid interrupted. "It'd be quicker if I just did this." He picked Riku up and slung him over his shoulder. He made a face. "Now tha's just unnatural…" he muttered.

"What?" Tifa asked.

Cid shook his head and started walking.

Tifa decided not to question and followed after Cid. There were more important things at hand. She cast another healing spell in Riku's direction, hoping that it would actually do something this time. She had no indication if it did or not.

"You sure you're fine with carrying him?" she asked Cid after a moment.

"Faster this way," Cid said. "Besides, he's not actually that heavy. Yuffie could lift him if she wanted to."

"Huh."

"You want to run ahead and tell Aerith we're comin'?"

"Sure," Tifa said, and ran to do so.


	33. (DI) Habit Addendum

So this is an addendum (big word) that takes place shortly after "Habit" (whatever chapter that is - ch128) in Dead Inside. Covers what everyone else did after Riku ran off. Nothing terribly exciting, just a bunch of really short snippets.

In other news, I updated my profile. Did a bit of cleaning up and getting rid of old links. (if you're reading this at 11:50 on Nov 13, then the cleaning up hasn't happened quite yet). Let me know if there's something you can't find but want to. I'll gladly fix the problem.

ACK! I hate when I do that! I forgot to put in the XXs to separate the scenes! SORRY FOR ALL OF YOU THAT ALREADY READ THIS AND IF IT WAS CONFUSING!

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><p>Riku slowly got to his feet. He was shaking slightly, looking very much like he was trying not to. Namine tried to look at him, reassure him, but he avoided her gaze. He avoided everyone's gaze. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second.<p>

"H-habit…" he whispered.

And before she – or anyone else – could react, he was running. He bumped into Amaryllis, who stumbled slightly, but Riku didn't stop. It was like he couldn't wait to get out of there – out of sight, away from everyone.

"Riku?" Namine called after him.

He didn't respond.

She hadn't really expected him to.

Her heart was pounding in her chest.

Hardly thinking about it, she took off after him. She had to find him. Make sure he was okay. It was suddenly very important to her that he was okay. She knew he wasn't but she wanted him to be. That's why she had to find him. To fix it. She had to fix it so that he was okay.

Nothing else mattered.

Not a thing.

XX

"What was that?" Joseph asked, approaching Toby. Toby was shaking about as much as Riku had been before he ran off. "I… thought you didn't have any trouble with lightning."

Toby shrugged. "I'm just a conduit it for energy. I- I have a set limit of energy inside of me, but much more or less and there's problems. It was the only way Master Vexen could make it work. Otherwise I'd just fry myself." He was speaking very quickly, and was beginning to sound frantic. "So with all the lightning I had absorbed- I- I had to get rid of it somehow!"

"Why didn't you throw it at the Larxene Replica?" Joseph asked. That would've been the obvious thing to do.

"I- I don't know!" Toby replied. He was certainly frantic now, and sounded close to tears. "I just panicked, okay!? I wasn't aiming for Riku!"

"I-" Joseph paused. "You're right. I'm sorry. I know you didn't mean it."

Toby nodded, wiping his eyes. He sniffled slightly.

Joseph bent down so that he was eye level with Toby. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Do you think he meant it?" Toby whispered. His voice sounded incredibly small and scared.

Joseph frowned. "Who meant…?" he began, then paused. "What Riku said?" He laughed. "'Course he didn't mean it! He just doesn't like lightning, or Larxene, that's all."

"But he-"

Joseph pulled him into a hug, stopping him there. "It's alright," he said. "He's just like this sometimes. Sixty-four percent of the time, I think I said." He let go of Toby, grinning as reassuringly as he could. "Don't take it personally. He stopped once he realized it was you, didn't he?"

Toby slowly nodded. "Y-yeah…"

"See? He didn't mean it!" Joseph grinned wider. "You want to go get ice cream or something to make you feel better?"

"Nah." Toby shook his head.

"Then what?" Joseph asked.

Toby reached over and poked Joseph in the ribs.

"Tag," he said. "You're it." And he ran off.

"Hey!" Joseph shouted, quickly running after him.

XX

"I should go… shouldn't I?" Q asked, quietly.

2 nodded. "That would probably be best." He paused a second, before adding: "I am sorry that this didn't work out." It felt weird saying that to a Larxene, but he did genuinely feel sorry for her right now.

She shrugged. "Don't worry about it," she said. "It's my fault, mainly. I got here later than I should've, didn't think this all through…" She sighed. "Thanks anyway."

"Your plan isn't all that bad," Amaryllis assured her. His voice was surprisingly kind. "I'll go over it again with him later. Maybe he'll like it better if he hears it from someone else."

"If you feel like it, go ahead," Q said as she shrugged again. "He's not going to want me involved no matter what. Anyway, I should get going." She started walking away, not quite using a dark corridor yet. 2 suspected she wasn't quite sure where she planned on going. He doubted she'd be accepted back in the World that Never Was. She paused after a second and turned back, raising her hand in a half-wave. "It was nice seeing you again," she said, smiling.

Her eyes were only for Amaryllis.

He smiled back at her.

"You too."

2 frowned, glancing between the two of them. He took a second to search through his memory. The two of them were… friends. Or, at least, they had been before the Rebellion started. Interesting.

He turned back to Amaryllis, who was watching Q go with a curious expression on his face. After a second, Amaryllis ran after her.

"Q, wait!" he called.

She turned to him.

2 saw Amaryllis lean over and whisper something in her ear, but he couldn't hear what. They were well out of earshot. 2 smiled and shook his head, then headed off. Someone should tell Alpha that the threat was long gone.

XX

"Q, wait!" Amaryllis called, running after her. She turned back to him, raising her eyebrows in confusion. He swallowed, hesitating for a second.

"Yes?" she asked, sounding a bit impatient.

He glanced around, making sure that no one was close enough to overhear them. It didn't appear anyone was, but…

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, just to be sure that no one would hear him: "Why don't you meet me in, I don't know, Twilight Town. In, say, an hour or so." He swallowed again, and then added: "If you want, of course."

She laughed slightly. "Sure. I've got nothing better to do."

To his relief, she kept her voice low as she said it.

"Alright," he sighed, starting off. She caught him by the arm.

"Twilight Town?" she asked.

He nodded.

"In an hour?"

"Yeah."

She nodded and let go of him. "Just clarifying." She smiled at him. "See you then!"

Amaryllis smiled back, and started off. Behind him, he could hear a dark corridor open and close, signaling that Q had left. He did his best not to look too relieved or anything. He wouldn't want anyone knowing he was planning on meeting Q – a Larxene – later. Even if they had been friends back before the Rebellion had started, things were different now. He had a reputation to keep.


	34. (DI) A Forbidden Meeting

**Update Feb 2014:**

The Timeline concerning the Rebellion and the List of Replicas can be found somewhere on my blog. The Replica list is it's own page (Replicas), and the Rebellion timing post can be found on the Important Posts page

Also, this takes place sometime after ch128 of Dead Inside. (Specific timing details are probably listed on the Timeline)

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><p>"Finally! I thought you'd never show up!" Q said, glaring slightly at Amaryllis as he made his way over.<p>

"I said I'd meet you here in an hour," Amaryllis replied. "And we never specified _where_ in Twilight Town we were meeting. Not to mention that Twilight Town isn't the _smallest_ World—"

"I get it," Q interrupted. "Why'd you want to meet me here, anyway?"

Amaryllis shrugged. "I don't know. I figured we could… talk. It's been awhile since we did that."

Q stared at him for a moment. "You really just want to talk?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Are we not allowed to do that anymore?" He gave her a sideways look. "I know it's been nearly five months since the last time we saw each other, but we _are_ still—"

"Friends," Q finished. "We're just friends."

"I was _going_ to say friends." He paused, then raised his eyebrows. "What did you think I was going to say?"

She turned away, looking embarrassed and a bit flustered. "I don't know. I just—sorry. I'm sorry."

Amaryllis laughed. "It's fine. No need to apologize."

Q smiled. "So… what did you want to talk about?"

"I don't know." He shrugged again. "How's your life been recently, besides wanting to strangle L?"

Q laughed, now. "Nothing interesting," she said. "You already know that L's been a pain. G died. H and Bloodroot are… H and Bloodroot – but that's all just gossip. Nothing you'd really care about." She sighed. "Oh, wait! I do have news! I actually talked to R, recently."

"Seriously?" Amaryllis asked.

Q nodded. "Yeah, surprising, I know."

"How long has that been since you two last talked?"

"I think we were going on two months." She shrugged. "I'm not sure, though. It's not like I'm a Vexen Replica and calculate everything to the nearest hundredth of a second."

Amaryllis laughed. "Still poking fun at the Vexen Replicas – you haven't changed a bit!"

"And you still laugh at my awful jokes," Q replied. "Absolutely nothing has changed about our relationship."

Amaryllis slowly stopped laughing, and his voice got quiet. "I missed you."

Q turned to him. He wasn't quite looking at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

He was silent for a moment. "I mean… it's just quiet, in Castle Oblivion, without any Larxenes around. Not that I miss the annoying jokes, cruel pranks, and endless gossip." He turned to her. "But I do miss the company. There's not a lot of people, in Castle Oblivion, that I can talk to. Me and Snapdragon get along fine, and it's not like I have anything against talking to Lotus, but everyone else there is either busy all the time or a Vexen Replica – and you know how hard it is to have a decent conversation with a Vexen Replica."

"Now_ you're_ poking fun at them," Q laughed.

"You've rubbed off on me," Amaryllis replied, smiling.

Q shook her head and sighed. "So how's your life been?"

"Like I said already; quiet. Castle Oblivion is a boring rut of do nothing, fight off a raid from Saix, go back to doing nothing."

Q winced sympathetically. "Yikes. And I thought I had it bad…"

Amaryllis just shrugged. "In some ways, you do. Like putting up with L, for instance."

"Don't get me started."

Amaryllis sighed.

"Why did you come to Castle Oblivion, anyway?" he asked.

Q shrugged. "Revenge on L."

"You said it wasn't-"

"I know what I said!" She threw him a look. "But you can't tell me that wouldn't have worked – killing L and leaving 37 too mopey to care about anything anymore. And, yes, I get revenge in the process, but it's not like anyone needed to know about that." She groaned. "I don't know why I bothered – Riku wouldn't have gone along with it no matter how I presented the idea to him. I _knew_ that, I just—ugh. I don't know. I was being stupid, going to Castle Oblivion, that's what."

Amaryllis frowned. "What makes you say that?" he asked.

"I can't ever return to the World that Never Was – I'm a known traitor, now, and it was all for nothing!" She was pacing now, in her frustration, and Amaryllis half expected her to throw her hands up in the air any second now. "I mean, yeah, I told you all what I think about L and that she doesn't care about 37, but we didn't _do_ anything! I shouldn't have even gone to Castle Oblivion."

"On the bright side, we found each other again," Amaryllis said.

She glared at him. "Yes, that's wonderful, but there are more important things than our friendship!"

He stared for a moment, and then sighed. "Listen, Q, I'm sorry I've upset you-"

"No, don't apologize," she interrupted, face softening immediately. "It's not your fault. And I didn't mean that. I'm just—I'm frustrated with myself. I _knew_ that Riku wasn't going to listen to me, and yet for some _stupid_ reason, I thought that this would work. I'm such an idiot."

"Now don't say that."

"It's true, though." She turned to him, the look on her face between anger and discomfort. "I don't suppose you've wondered why he kills every Larxene he meets."

Amaryllis was silent for a moment. He _had _wondered about it on occasion, but he never put much thought in matter. He always figured it was some personal grudge, but the look on Q's face was making him suddenly think otherwise, and he didn't really like what that otherwise might entail. "Not… often," he said.

"There are… things, that she did to him – that the Larxene from his universe did to him – that…" She paused, shuddered. "Things that make me ashamed to be a Larxene Replica. Literally, it makes me _sick_ to know that I am a Replica of that – ugh!" She resumed her frustrated pacing now. "I mean, I know that that's a Larxene from a different universe, but if the circumstances had been the same in ours, I'm sure Larxene here would've done the same."

Amaryllis swallowed. "Dare I… ask what she did to him?"

"I wouldn't tell you even if you did ask," Q replied. "That's something I'll leave him to tell – though I doubt he'll _ever_ tell anyone."

"Can I ask how you know, then?"

Q stopped pacing and gave him a wry look. "Riku's memories," she said, "are on the Database."

"Were," Amaryllis corrected. "He deleted them. And wiped the Database while he was at it. I mean, we've got a copy of the Database somewhere, I think. I'm not sure; I tend to get left out of the more technical decisions…"

"Good," Q said. "He should've deleted those sooner." She frowned then. "Wait, the Database was wiped? How have I not heard about that?"

Amaryllis shrugged. "I figured L would've complained about it…"

"I've been avoiding her recently," Q said. "But R would've mentioned, given how much time she spends on the computer. Then again… R is R. Anyway, that's beside the point." Q shook her head. "L, being 37's _girlfriend_-" The way she said the word made it sound like an insult. "-had access to Riku's memories and me, being L's friend, have seen a few of them, because L showed me. Back when we still sort of got along."

"I'm guessing that it's not good that L had access to them…"

Q shook her head. "Definitely not. Especially because now she knows exactly what makes Riku tick; exactly what he hates; exactly what he fears, and she can use those to Rewrite Namine-"

"And make her into something that will, undoubtedly, kill him." Amaryllis let out a long breath. He was silent for a moment, before turning to Q. "Alright, now, I have to ask, _why_ are you trying to help Riku?"

"I want this to be over with," Q replied. "Preferably _soon_, before things have a chance to get ugly. Riku seems like the person to go to if you want something to end quickly."

"I can agree with that," Amaryllis said. "I guess… we just have to hope Namine's kidnapped soon."

Q stared at him like he was crazy. He laughed.

"You've lost me!" Q said. "Since when is Namine being kidnapped a _good_ thing!? You _just_ agreed that L rewriting Namine is a _bad_ idea!"

"It is." Amaryllis smiled. "But, who says that kidnapping Namine directly ties to Rewriting her? If L's the one pulling the strings behind all this – which you're pretty sure she is – then she's not going to Rewrite Namine right after kidnapping her. I mean, I may not know L all that well, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but won't she drag it out?"

Q's eyes widened in understanding. "She'll do just that. Toy with Namine. Make the experience just as painful for Namine as she intends to make it for Riku—uck, L makes me so sick! But-" Her mood lightened. "We can use this to our advantage, can't we?"

"Exactly. Once Namine's kidnapped, Riku'll storm the World that Never Was before they'll even have a chance to Rewrite her, and he'll end up killing L, 37, Saix, and anyone else that gets in his way. It'll be over like _that._" He emphasized this with a snap of his fingers.

Q's grin faltered. "You sure about that? I mean… what if the rest of the Organization gets involved? There's no way he could make it through _all_ of them in time. I mean, some of the lower ranks, sure, but _Xigbar?_ And what if Xemnas gets involved? There's no way Riku could get past _him._"

"He _did_ storm Castle Oblivion and kill a third of the Organization in three days," Amaryllis pointed out. "Merely because he held a grudge. Imagine what would happen if Namine was on the line."

"Okay, you have a point there… And it's not likely that the entire Organization will get involved…" Q sighed, then smiled. "Do you think we should do something about it?"

Now Amaryllis frowned. He hadn't actually been _planning_ to speed up Namine's capture, though he realized now that it was his fault for discussing this with a Larxene Replica – Q had been talking as if they were actually going to do something since he brought the subject up. Oh well, there really was no harm in plotting, and if they actually _did_ do anything, how could they possibly make it any worse than it was already going to turn out?

"Like what?" he asked.

"You find a time when Namine will be alone, Riku'll be nowhere around, and let me know," Q said. "I'll tell L."

"But you're a known traitor. No one will-"

"I said I'd tell _L._" Q interrupted. "I don't care if I'm a traitor; L's always using _anything_ she can to her advantage. If she thinks the info I give her is any bit useful, she'll use it."

"Okay." Amaryllis sighed. "Just to make sure I've got this: _I_ figure out a good time, I tell you, you tell L, she tells 37, and he does the rest, right?"

Q nodded. "Yup. Simple, isn't it?"

"For the most part…"

She glared. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

He shrugged.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, more importantly; how are you going to get the information to me?"

"We meet back here in a week and I tell you what I've figured out then."

"What if you have something before then?"

He groaned. "Fine. We'll meet back here tomorrow and I'll have some form of communication figured out."

Q grinned. "Now you're thinking!" She kissed him on the cheek, and then started off. "See you tomorrow then."

"Uh… yeah…" Amaryllis blinked a few times. "Wait a minute, what was _that? _I mean-" He paused, flustered. After a moment, he said: "You were insisting like, five minutes ago, that we were just—"

"I know what I said," Q interrupted, her grin widening. And before Amaryllis could say anything else, she pulled her hood up over her head, formed a dark corridor around herself, and was gone.


	35. (BBS) Aqua's Final Battle

So, I started this scene forever ago because Aqua was yelling at me. I'm not sure _how_ it made her feel better, but it must've (or it didn't, and so…) 'cuz she walked away about halfway through it and left me hanging there and I was like: "dangit, Aqua! I need to finish this!"

And then, the other night, Xehanort was like "INSPIRATION!" and I was like "Xehanort I hate you, you're so cruel, but it's inspiration, so-" *writes*

(if you have any questions about the chapter, please consult the commentary on my blog about it first, I think I cover all the major possible issues/questions)

oh, and sorry for spamming you with stuff in ASAS. Good news, though, Dead Inside will resume updates soon! I just need to get a chapter back from my beta and then it'll be ready for posting.

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><p>"Terra!" she cried, rushing forward. A wall of darkness flared up, stopping her in her tracks. She took a step back and shielded her eyes. Her heart turned in her chest. She wasn't going to make it at this rate…<p>

And, sure enough, when she opened her eyes again, he was already gone.

Her stomach felt like it was in knots.

"No…" Aqua breathed, unwilling to believe it just quite yet.

Terra couldn't be gone.

Sudden anger flared up within her, and she activated her armor. "No!" she screamed, boarding her Keyblade Glider. "You do _not_ get to take him from me!"

She was lucky enough to come out in the right world.

Because there he was…

Terra—

No.

Xehanort, using Terra's body.

He stood there, hands behind his back, a wicked smile on his face; like he had known this was going to happen.

"Such ferocity, burning in your heart," he said, and to Aqua's horror, he used Terra's voice to say it. "You hate me, don't you?"

She swallowed.

The answer was, of course, yes. She _did_ hate Xehanort.

But afraid of Terra, who had to be listening to this, thinking that she was talking about him—

She didn't say anything.

"Afraid of answering?" Xehanort laughed.

"Give him back to me," Aqua replied, fighting to keep her voice even. "Give him back or pay the price!" Her voice rose to a shout and she drew her Keyblade, her hand shaking, fingers struggling to keep their grip.

"So you're willing to fight for him?" Xehanort asked, sounding rather amused.

Aqua's eyes narrowed, then she nodded.

"Even if you hurt him?"

Her entire body was shaking now, and she was beginning to think that it wasn't anger that she was shaking with. Fear, maybe? Was she holding back sobs without even realizing it?

"I- I want him back…" she stuttered. She was extremely aware of just how lame and utterly stupid it sounded, but she couldn't find anything else to say. Her brain was numb, and that was the only clear thought in her head.

She wanted him back.

She wasn't going to let it be too late.

Xehanort smiled. "Of course," he said, drawing his blade. (Thankfully, it was his own and not Terra's). "And this is obviously the best way to get him back."

He was mocking her.

She knew that.

But she didn't care.

She rushed forward, a scream escaping her lips as she struck. He blocked her blade with ease. She screamed again: a scream of utter anguish, and again she struck and again she was blocked.

She felt like she was going to cry.

She couldn't think straight enough to fight properly.

She couldn't think straight at all.

"Terra… please!" she said, though it came out choked. "Please don't give up! I- I need you." She sunk to her knees, covering her face with the hand that wasn't holding her Keyblade. She wasn't going to cry. Not here; not in front of Xehanort.

She heard Xehanort take a step backwards. His Keyblade suddenly wasn't blocking hers any more.

She had to get back up. Use whatever this silence Xehanort was regarding her with – it was probably amusement – to her advantage. Strike now.

But she couldn't make her arm move to swing her Keyblade again.

"Aqua…?"

Terra.

That had to be Terra!

She looked up, shocked; overjoyed.

"Terra!" she exclaimed, her voice containing every ounce of her happiness. He could hear her! He could _fight_! They could get rid of Xehanort! They could—

Something pierced her in the side. It was a Keyblade. Xehanort's—

She was an idiot.

Aqua quickly scrambled away from Xehanort, ignoring the pain that shot through her side with each movement. What had she been thinking? Of course that hadn't been Terra. It was just Xehanort; using Terra's voice to taunt her, just as he had been before.

"Heal," she breathed, placing her hand over the wound. She felt it close under her fingers and the pain stopped immediately. She looked up at Xehanort. The smirk on his face most definitely did not belong to Terra – though it made her sick to realize that she had seen a similar smirk on his face a time or two before.

_But this isn't Terra, _she told herself.

_Terra would _not_ hurt me._

Shakily, Aqua pushed herself to her feet, gripping her Keyblade tight.

"Are you positive about fighting me?" Xehanort asked, that smirk on his face widening, laughter clearly present in his voice.

"Yes," she replied. "Anything to get Terra back."

Xehanort chuckled, darkly. "Then you're wasting your time," he told her. "Terra is long gone."

"You keep telling yourself that."

XXX

She wasn't sure how long they fought; she only knew that she was exhausted, and Xehanort's hold on Terra didn't appear to be weakening. Xehanort himself seemed pretty tired, though. They stood on separate ends of the area that had become their battlefield (which was scorched in some places by Fire magic and Darkness), both of them breathing heavily. Xehanort was clutching his side and leaning on his Keyblade for support. Aqua was only just keeping herself from doing the same.

_How much longer can we go on like this? _she wondered.

She knew for certain that she could not continue for much longer, even as she cast a Cure on herself to negate any injuries she'd sustained recently. It didn't matter how many Cures she could cast; eventually she was going to run out of energy.

The same was true for Xehanort.

_I just need to get him to that breaking point – then he'll be too tired to keep his hold on Terra's heart._

The plan was simple. Now she only had to carry it out.

She started to prepare a large Fire spell, but paused. Using magic would only wear her out faster. She needed to outlast Xehanort, or she'd be of no use to Terra. Aqua let out an annoyed breath – magic would've made this faster – and then rushed forward to strike with her Keyblade, instead.

"Aqua, wait!"

Terra's voice again.

Given that Xehanort had yet to use any voice but Terra's, Aqua had half a mind not to listen.

But only half a mind.

She slowed herself to a halt, and glared at him skeptically.

He had not moved from where he stood; still clutching his side and leaning against his Keyblade for support. He looked up at her, slowly. Her heart seized in her chest. The look in his eyes was both panicked and worried: emotions she doubted Xehanort would ever express.

"You need to go!" Terra – she was almost certain it was him – said. His voice was not cruel, like when Xehanort used it. His voice was firm, but kind, just as he had always been towards her. "He's going to kill you if you stay!"

"I'm not leaving without you, Terra," she told him, simply.

Terra paused, turned away for a second.

"Then put an end to us both," he said, voice quiet.

Her stomach churned. That was a request she could not answer. She had been fighting this whole time with her only intention being to save Terra. She had _not_ been fighting with the intent to kill. She'd merely been fighting in hopes to wear Xehanort down.

"I can't, Terra," her voice was only a whisper.

_Killing you is not an option._

"You know—ah!" Her words were cut short as Terra – no, _Xehanort_ – reached out and grabbed her by the neck. His grip was strong. If he wanted to, he could probably easily crush her neck and kill her then and there.

"Stop your useless prattling," Xehanort said; and he used his own voice to say it. "I am tired of dealing with you."

His grip on her throat tightened, and her vision blackened around the edges. Aqua slowly closed her eyes and focused on getting air into her lungs. She was vaguely aware of Xehanort straightening, and that her feet left the ground, but all that was _really_ clear in her head was that it was getting harder to breathe.

She didn't want to die this way.

"Terra-" she gasped. "Please…"

_…don't do this!_

But she didn't have the air to say those words.

And it was growing harder to think…

_Terra…_

_ …Ven…_

Xehanort suddenly let go of her. Sweet air filled her lungs as she fell—

And kept falling.

She should've hit the ground a long time ago.

Darkness enveloped her. She opened her eyes, but the only light she saw was a rapidly fading pinprick in the distance. Part of her knew that she should try and reach it, but her oxygen starved brain couldn't make her body move towards it.

It was probably too far away, anyway…

_"Sleep, child," _a voice whispered. It came from nowhere. It came from everywhere. _"Surrender yourself to the darkness."_

_ To the darkness, never,_ Aqua thought in defiance.

_But to sleep… maybe…_

_ "Sleep, then," _the voice said. "_Here, sleep is safety._ _Here, in the Realm of Darkness, sleep is everything._"

Aqua knew these were lies, but that didn't stop exhaustion from taking her. Slowly, she shut her eyes…

She awoke with a start. When had she fallen asleep? When had she gotten here?

More importantly; where was here?

Aqua looked around. There was a crooked path beneath her, and nothing but darkness around her. How had she gotten here?

Images flooded her mind: _Terra, no, Xehanort in Terra's body. He was smirking at her. Flashes of battle. Terra calling out to her. Xehanort choking her. Falling. Darkness._

She shook her head to clear it of those images.

She needed to get out of here. She needed to get back to Terra.

Aqua pushed herself to her feet and summoned her armor, then her Glider. Though these came to her just fine, no portal opened to take her from there. She frowned, then focused her energy, willing a portal to her. None came. Her frown deepening, she slowly got off her Glider and summoned her Keyblade to her. She pointed it in front of her, focused her energy again, and called a portal to form. Nothing.

She was stranded.

She banished her armor, then her Keyblade. What was she going to do?

Was there even anything she could do?

Slowly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her wayfinder. Sadness surged through her as she looked at it; the wayfinders were meant to keep them together, and yet that was the exact opposite of where they were now.

Images of Ven flashed through her mind. She had left him sleeping, his heart torn from his body, with a promise to return and wake him. She had only wanted to find Terra first…

Terra—

The images came to her then were much worse.

_He was angry at her. He was hardly ever angry at her, and certainly never to THIS extent._

_ He was threatening to fight her._

_He was yelling at her; telling her to leave him alone; that he was FINE._

_ Xehanort had him. Xehanort was using him to taunt her. Xehanort was using him to fight her._

Xehanort had nearly killed her.

_ "Aqua, run! He'll kill you if you stay!"_

Had the words even been Terra's?

She chose to believe so.

"Somehow," she swore. "I will find a way out of here. I will find a way to wake you, Ven." Her hand clenched around her wayfinder. "Somehow, Terra. I will find a way to bring you back."

Resolve set, she started walking.


	36. (DI) The Xion Virus

Yes, I know I know. I just killed R off, and now I'm posting a chapter with her in it. But I had to post this, because I got sick of not being able to call the virus that she had by its proper name. (Though... I could've just told you its name, and it's not like I've needed to talk about it, but... whatever I'd still have to post this eventually)

This happens before Q leaves for CO, but that's a bit obvious, I think... So. Yeah.

* * *

><p>"I should've known I'd find you down here…"<p>

R glanced up from the computer she was at. The computer was old and clunky. Compared to every other computer in the World that Never Was, it was definitely the oldest, the least hi-tech, and the one that you'd vote "most likely to stop working any minute now". Despite its looks, R could make it run as smooth as any of the other computers – if not smoother.

She frowned slightly, a bit surprised to see her older "sister" Q. (Of course, since it was impossible for Replicas to have any blood relations, most considered themselves related if they had been created in the same set.) She and Q, though being sisters, didn't talk as often as one might think. In fact, they hadn't spoken to each other for nearly a month—or was it two?— now. R wondered why Q had now decided to break that silence.

"What do you need me for?" she asked.

"Am I not allowed to say goodbye before I leave?" Q replied.

R chuckled. "So you finally got sick of L, eh? Took you long enough! Looks like Chrys owes me munny." She faltered. "If I could actually talk to him, of course. He's been avoiding me..."

"Really?"

R nodded. "Not sure why. Anyway, you're leaving?"

"I've decided to do something about L."

R rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the computer. "You'll get killed," she said. "You know that right? I don't care if you're plotting revenge or whatever on L; setting foot in Castle Oblivion is practically a death wish."

"I won't stay there any longer than I need to."

R smiled. "You sure this is the best way to go about it, though? There are other ways to get revenge."

Catching onto the tone in R's voice, Q smiled, too. "What have you been working on?" she asked, liking where this was heading.

R had always been good with computers. She could hack her way into anything – if she were allowed to try, she could've probably retrieved whatever part of the Program it was that the Rebellion had with few issues and possibly without even going anywhere near Castle Oblivion. One of R's hobbies was developing viruses specifically tailored to Replicas, and from the sounds of it, she'd just finished a new one.

"Do you remember Xion?" she asked.

"Vaguely…" Q replied slowly. She had seen Xion all of once, and had only heard rumors about what had eventually happened to her.

"Xion's data, being unstable, was doomed to fall apart from the very beginning," R explained. "I was able to replicate what happened to her-"

"And turned it into a virus?" Q asked, before R got into any technical details.

R grinned. "Exactly! Of course, I had to guess in a few places, as there isn't an accurate record of _everything_ that happened to her, and I did modify the process a bit… Ah! Nothing to worry about, though," she said quickly. "It wasn't anything major. The virus still produces the desired effect."

"Forgive me for not quite following, but what _exactly_ does the virus do?" Q asked.

"Slowly and painfully eats away at a Replica's data until there is nothing left of them," R replied, grinning even wider. "Perfect way to get revenge, I'd say."

"It works?"

R's grin faltered. "Well…"

"You don't know?" Q folded her arms across her chest.

"It's not like anyone's willing to test it, and even if someone were, it'd be about three months before I was positive that it worked. However, given the way it's written, I'm sure that it will do _something._ And why not use L as our guinea pig?"

Q considered it for a moment. Finally, she sighed. "As tempting as the offer is, I don't think I could wait three months."

"What if we tried it on 37?"

Q laughed.

"I'll let you know if my plan backfires, okay? We'll talk then."

"Alright…" R sighed. "Don't get yourself killed!"

"I won't."

And with that, Q left.


	37. (DI) Extra Content 3: R

So, I was searching through my documents and found a very convenient collection of extra stuff for R's death that didn't require editing before posting (since fanfic doesn't like chat format). Since most of the work was already done for me, I went ahead and gathered up the rest of the extra stuff and edited it as necessary

btw, I feel permanently guilty for posting things with R in them...

* * *

><p><strong>Most of this was written during a brainstorming session after I decided I was going to have 7 flip and start protecting R; I was brainstorming what exactly 7 was going to do and how everything was going to work. Not all of this extra stuff was written then, but most of it (making it much easier to locate and put into this format)<strong>

**This was scrapped I think because it just wasn't working, though I think it made it in later in some form or another?**

"Why do you ask?" R laughed. "Think that just because I'm a Larxene Replica, I don't know how to use a computer?"

Namine quickly shook her head. "I'm just asking."

**x**

**This next bit is template dialogue. What I had in mind when it first popped into my head, though it changed by the time I changed it from dialogue to story**

**~by the way, since this was originally written as dialogue and purely dialogue, I whipped everything else kind of on the spot just now.**

"Is that 7?" R asked.

Namine turned to her, surprised. "You know him?"

R smiled slightly. "I might've caused him a lot of trouble a while back, with one of my other viruses," she said, sounding a bit proud of herself.

"_Might have?_" 7 rolled his eyes. "It took me three months to figure that stupid virus out, and all the while we lost Replica after Replica due to them getting infected with it."

"It worked, though!" R protested, certainly sounding proud of herself now. "And it's not like we _really_ lost anyone; you managed to cure them all!"

"Don't sound so proud," 7 replied. "You were one of the first to get infected."

"I really should make myself immune to all the viruses I write… huh." She grimaced. "Pity I didn't think of that two weeks ago."

**x**

**More template dialogue**

"Can you read Code?" Namine asked.

"I'd be a pretty lousy Medic if I couldn't," 7 replied.

"Great!" Riku said. "Do you think you could work with R and figure out if Namine's meltdowns are caused by something in her data? And, if they are, if there's a way to fix it?"

"I… suppose I can…" 7 said, slowly, sounding a bit suspicious.

"What?" R laughed. "No bragging that you can do it on your own and don't need my help?"

7 shook his head. "No. I know what your mind is capable of. I would greatly appreciate your help."

"But I can't read Code!"

**x**

**~not quite sure where this goes: it's somewhere after 7 restrains Riku, but I can't seem to remember WHERE, exactly. Anyway, I took this out because it wasn't flowing**

"I overlooked you killing her because I figured it'd be quick. Merciful. This isn't…" He shook his head.

**x**

**This one was scrapped because R sounded too coherent… which is a pity, it's a funny line**

"Are you alright?" 7 asked.

"Am I…" R laughed. "That's not a good question to ask someone who's dying, 7."

**x**

**This is a snippet that was written during brainstorming, and got cut up and put in a million different places**

She shook her head, smiling slightly. "I lost the ability to form dark corridors… that was the last thing to go. Even if you keep Riku away from me, I've only got a few more weeks. Maybe two. Maybe less. I forget…."

"I can figure something out," 7 said. "You said that you believed I could cure any virus."

"I did… Hmm… but not in this amount of time. There's not enough time. Do you even know how to cure it?"

"She said, just minutes ago," Namine said. "Something… that'd refill the data, since the virus eats it away. But you'd have to keep it open ended, or something, so that you could attach whosever file you needed to it."

7 shook his head. "I could just write it to match R's file. Take the headache out of an open-ended cure. She's the only one I need to be curing."

"And you're going to do that with _what_ Program, 7?" R asked. "You're locked out of ours."

"I'll go to the World that Never Was. Demand someone let me fix you. Who's going to complain?"

R laughed. It was raspy, but it was still laughter. "You're crazy… It won't work. Don't even… have enough time…"

"I'll-" he paused, then reached for his pager (walkie-talkie?). "Alpha, _please_ tell me you have the passwords for the Disabling portion of the Program figured out."

"What'll that do?" Namine asked.

"All of a sudden?" Alpha almost laughed. "No, I don't. Haven't been trying to figure out the passwords. Why do you need them?"

"I-" the words caught in his throat.

"What good is Disabling her going to do?" Namine asked, again.

"Disabling will shut off all a Replica's functions," Alpha explained.

"Including a virus raging through them," 7 added.

"You aren't trying to save R, are you?" Alpha asked.

"Always, it seems, am I trying to save her," 7 replied. There was no bitterness in his voice. Just a sad humor. He turned to R. "You don't happen to know them, do you?"

"Forgot those," R said, smiling wryly. "Just like everything else."

7 swore.

"Now, 7," R said. "No need for that. It's fine. I'll—ah! I'll be fine!"

"No, I'm not going to lose you! This isn't going to happen!"

**x**

**Idk what this is, the idea came to me and I just wrote it down**

He started muttering under his breath, focusing his energy.

R laughed. "Are you trying to use magic on me, you silly man?" she asked. "A Curaga won't do any good, and you know it."

"I just-" he stuttered.

**x**

**This just… didn't flow. But it's actually a reference to something. Not that any of you will know what**

"Don't," she told him. "I got what I came here for. Even if it wasn't necessarily… quick… I'm still… dying. And it's not that painful, actually. I expected these… last moments to be—ow!" She clutched her chest, groaning in pain. "Ow… I think… I think I just lost a lung."

"A… lung?"

She nodded. "I think I just felt it… collapse. Okay… I thought it'd all happen at once. The dying thing. Oh well…"

**x**

**Again, another little thing that just came to me and I wrote down (brainstorming session, remember?)**

"You were right about Chrys, by the way," she said.

"I was?"

She nodded. "What was it I owed you? A thousand munny?"

"Don't die and you won't owe me anything."

"Doesn't work like that…"

**~or it could've been like…**

"What was it I owe you? A thousand munny?"

He laughed. "You don't have to pay me, R."

"Good. I don't have any munny with me, anyway."

**x**

**I'd planned for 7 to yell at Riku but then I decided no. Just no. Here's some scrap ideas for that, though (I love Namine's response)**

"She didn't have to die!" he screamed, furious. "She didn't have to-"

"Shh!" Namine scolded. "You'll give him a complex."

7 stared, incredulous. "I'll give him a-" He growled, frustrated, and turned on his heel. The insanity of this! Riku was _fine_.

~as he leaves, he bumps into Vexen (because of course Vexen's there for no reason) and exclaims, angrily: "that Riku of yours! Agh!"

"What did he do?" Vexen asked.

Namine shook her head. "Ask me later. Or ask someone else. I'm still trying to calm him down."

"I feel sick…" Riku moaned.


	38. (DI) Blizzard

so... this is the companion chapter to ch134 ("Searching") of Dead Inside. Sora's scene from Aqua's POV. roughly.

Sorry if the ending gets a little lackluster/anti-climatic, but... idk, I was having trouble focusing on it for some reason. I think it turned out okay, but apologies in advanced for the possible lackluster quality of it.

Also, updates for Dead Inside will be on their way shortly! I had a few chapters already lined up, and then I thought this scene would take longer than it did, but it actually only took two days to write (¿que? ¿que es esa locura?) so... yeah! Updates are on their way!

That's it. If you want to hear me ramble, head over to my blog. That's what it's for.

* * *

><p>They were in Neverland. There'd been a sudden influx in Heartless here, so they decided to come check it out and maybe bring the Heartless levels down to something more like normal.<p>

"Is there any particular reason you're using so much Blizzard magic?" Aqua asked, casting a glance over at Ven.

"Nope!" he replied.

Aqua highly doubted that this was the truth. Ven had been attacking with nothing _but_ Blizzard magic all day; he hadn't even summoned his Keyblade! He was just killing Heartless by shooting varying levels of Blizzard at them.

Currently, Ven was focusing his energy into a large blast of what appeared to be Blizzaga. Once it had gathered enough strength, he sent it at the Heartless. It froze a few on the spot, and the ones it didn't freeze it killed. He charged up the attack again, making it at least the sixth time he'd used it all battle. He'd certainly done it enough to launch Diamond Dust, though he hadn't bothered to do that, either.

"I don't believe you, Ven," Aqua laughed, shooting a blast of Blizzara into the fray. She didn't want to mess up whatever it was that Ven was doing with any Fire attacks.

"I'm practicing," he said, voice a bit strained.

She tried to ask just what he was practicing—besides casting Blizzaga, of course—but that was all the answer she got out of him. She sighed and shook her head, attacking the nearest Heartless with Thundaga. Most of the Heartless they were fighting were capable of flight, so physical attacks weren't always as effective. Though…

She turned and located one of the Heartless Ven had frozen and started attacking it. It couldn't fly away from her, or do much else, so it wasn't long before it was dead. She quickly located another one of the frozen Heartless, and started attacking that one. This method proved to be very effective: she'd let Ven freeze the Heartless with his Blizzard magic (it felt too strong for her to call it Blizzaga, anymore) and then attacked the frozen Heartless before they thawed out.

It wasn't much longer before the Heartless in the area were gone. Aqua made her way over to Ven, who was rubbing his hands together, as if trying to warm them up.

"So, Ven," she said, casually. "What exactly are you practicing?"

"I'm trying to figure out how to cast a strong enough Blizzard spell to freeze someone solid," Ven replied. "I think what I'm casting right now will work, but it's hard to tell when we're fighting these small Heartless. It kills more of them than it freezes."

Aqua frowned, a bit concerned. "Why would you want to-" she began, but paused.

Something was tugging at her.

It was a gentle tug; something nudging at her mind. It was… telling her she needed to go a certain direction. She slowly turned in that direction, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. So why did she need to head that way?

Why was there a sudden feeling in her heart that there was someone over there she desperately needed to be with?

"Aqua?" Ven said. She turned back to him, and gasped slightly in surprise.

She was a good distance away from him; she had taken a few steps in the direction that the nudge in her mind was telling her to go without even realizing it.

"Something wrong?" Ven asked, staring at her.

"I just…" She slowly turned around. "I feel like we need to head this way, for some reason."

Thankfully, that was all the explanation Ven needed. He ran to catch up with her.

"Alright!" he said. "Let's go!"

Aqua lead them off, using the nudge in her mind as a guide. So far, the path seemed relatively straight, and besides a few smaller Heartless (which Ven killed quickly with his Blizzard attack) there were no obstacles.

"Do you have any idea why we need to go this way?" Ven asked, rubbing his hands together again. A part of Aqua wondered if he was getting cold from all the Blizzard magic he was throwing, but the rest of her found it hard to focus on much else than the persistent nudge in her mind.

"I think… I think I'm supposed to meet someone," Aqua replied, a bit distracted.

"Any idea who?"

Aqua shook her head. _That_ was something she didn't know. But she was _positive_ that she needed to see them. For some reason.

"Do you think it's Terra?" Ven's voice was quiet as he spoke.

"I… don't know," was all Aqua could manage.

It couldn't be. It really couldn't… There was no way she'd find Terra _here_ of all places, and under such ridiculous circumstances! No need getting her hopes up. It most likely wasn't him.

But…

With the way her heart pulled in her chest each time she gave _who_ she might be being lead to see any thought, it was hard to doubt that it was going to be Terra. There was something about the feel of the nudge in her mind… the feel of whatever magic this was. It felt… it _felt_ like Terra. It—

No. She wouldn't get her hopes up.

She'd see whoever it was she needed to see, no matter _who_ it was. If it was Terra, then it was Terra—despite how absurd that would be. And if it wasn't Terra—and it likely wasn't—then what did it matter? She needed to see this person.

For some reason.

"Hey, Aqua?" Ven called from behind her. "You mind giving me a hand with this Heartless?"

She turned around, and instantly saw what Ven's problem was. Though he'd killed all the little ones with hardly any trouble, this Heartless was fairly _large_. And flying, like every other Heartless here. She summoned her Keyblade and sent a blast of Firaga at the Heartless. Meeting whoever it was she needed to meet could wait.

Ven considered the Heartless for a moment, and then started focusing his energy into the large Blizzard spell he'd been practicing all day. Once it had formed, he released it on the Heartless. Aqua was surprised and Ven was absolutely ecstatic to see that it easily froze the Heartless solid.

"I knew it would work!" Ven laughed.

However, the Heartless didn't stay frozen for long. It had started to plummet to the earth, as it was unable to move and thus unable to fly and keep itself aloft, but the ice thawed before it hit the ground. Ven sighed and summoned his Keyblade to him.

"I'll keep working on it," he said, launching himself at the Heartless before it flew much higher into the sky. It wasn't long before he'd activated Diamond Dust.

Aqua shot two more blasts of Firaga at the Heartless in quick succession, sending herself into Firestorm. The Heartless flew out of reach before she could land any attacks on it, though.

"Fever Pitch would be handy right now…" Ven mused, before turning his attention to the smaller Heartless that had begun appearing. Between what was left of his Diamond Dust, and Aqua's Firestorm, the smaller Heartless were gone very quickly.

_Quick. Quick is good, _Aqua thought, as the nudging in her mind became impatient. It wanted to know why she was wasting her time _here_ when she needed to be elsewhere.

"Ven!" she called. "Do you think you could freeze the Heartless again? Get it so it's closer to us?"

"I'll end up going into Diamond Dust again!" he replied, frowning. "I wanted to shoot for Fever Pitch!"

"Alright."

_It'll just take longer…_ she thought, but didn't say anything. The nudge in her mind was growing distracting, trying to get her to move away from here.

She shot a blast of Thundaga at the Heartless. Then another. Then a third.

It was getting hard to focus on the battle at hand.

She should get moving again…

She'd activated Thunderbolt, though, and started attacking the Heartless as it flew close enough for her to attack. Ven was already attacking it fervently, having triggered Fever Pitch. It didn't look like the Heartless had much health left, and with the rate Ven was attacking—

_Maybe I could let him finish it off…_

_ I don't have much farther to go…_

Aqua quickly shook that thought from her mind. Regardless of how badly she needed to see this person, she could _not_ leave Ven to finish this Heartless on his own. Yes, he'd probably be fine, but she wouldn't be a very good friend to just leave him. She quickly cast Magnera, drawing the Heartless to her, and in doing so triggered Ghost Drive. She started unleashing its attacks on the Heartless before the Magnera wore off.

The Heartless really _did_ have only a little health left. It was dead before Aqua'd used up all of her Ghost Drive, not that that mattered.

_Nearly there! _the nudge in her mind cried._ Nearly there! You're not that far from him!_

_Him?_ she thought, heart skipping a beat. That could be—

No, she wouldn't think it. Wouldn't get her hopes up. It could be anyone. It still could be anyone.

"Where were we headed?" Ven asked.

"This way," Aqua said, starting in that direction. She walked slowly at first, waiting for Ven to catch up with her, though she desperately wanted to take off at a run. It wasn't much farther now. She could feel it.

Ven stopped about halfway to her. He frantically shook his head and took a step back. "I- I don't think I can go any farther," he said.

Worried, Aqua ignored the _very persistent_ tug on her mind and went over to him. "Why not?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"Dark," Ven replied. "It's all… dark, up ahead. I don't like the way it feels on my skin. I- I don't think I should go anywhere near it."

Aqua frowned. This wasn't the first time Ven had done something like this. He'd had problems with the darkness in general off and on for a while now. There were even some Heartless that were just too much—too dark—for him to handle. Still, she couldn't help but worry each time this happened.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. You go on ahead! There was someone you needed to see in that direction, right?"

She nodded, slowly, the nudge in her mind urging her to go ahead and just leave Ven here, because she _really couldn't_ pass up this opportunity. But—no. She wasn't going to leave Ven that quickly. "Still, though, Ven-"

"I'll be fine!" he assured her. "I'll just… I'm sure there's more Heartless around that we missed or something. I'll go fight them! You go take care of whatever this is that you need to get taken care of."

Yes, it was perfect! He was fine with it; she should just go on ahead. It wasn't much farther. She couldn't pass this up—

Aqua rooted herself to the spot, taking a moment to see what she could sense up ahead. There was… darkness, just as Ven had said. It was… small, though. It didn't feel like it should be enough to cause Ven to have _this_ reaction. And it didn't feel like it was a Heartless or anything of that sort. This felt less like some_thing,_ and more like some_one._

Her heart about stopped.

It couldn't be…

_Terra…?_

But it was too much darkness to be him… wasn't it?

_Could it be—no. No, there was no way! No _way_ it could be Xehanort!_

Right?

Aqua wasn't sure which possibility scared her more.

She closed her eyes and made a decision. If whoever it was up ahead—be it who she needed to see or not—actually _was_ Terra, but in _that_ condition…

Or if it was something worse…

She didn't want Ven around. If she was going to investigate, she'd do it _after_ Ven was elsewhere; somewhere safer. In which case… she'd investigate later. _Now_ she'd get Ven away from here.

"The feeling's gone," she lied. "Whoever it was that I needed to see must've left already."

"Well, that's a shame," Ven said. She couldn't tell if he believed her or not.

She only nodded in agreement. It was taking her a lot of effort to ignore the now desperate nudge in her mind. Every inch of her wanted to turn and run; she was _so close_. "Why don't we go ahead and leave?" she suggested, hoping her voice wasn't as strained as she felt. "I'm sure we've done enough Heartless bashing for one day."

Ven agreed all-too-readily. "Alright, where to?" he asked, summoning his Keyblade Glider.

"You pick," she told him. Ignoring the tug on her mind had become so consuming that it really was a struggle to do anything else. It even took her a moment to remember _how_ to summon her Keyblade Glider, due to how distracting the tug was.

"Traverse Town sound good?"

"Sure."

Ven opened a portal to the Lanes Between and speed through. Aqua followed after, though at a slightly slower pace. It was getting extremely hard to concentrate on anything but the thought of turning around and going back. Thankfully, the tugging that was trying to keep her in Neverland vanished the moment she entered the Lanes Between.

Just before she left, though, she could've sworn she heard—

But, it was impossible, really.

She couldn't have…

She…

_I could've sworn I heard Terra calling my name._

XXX

They'd rented a room at the Hotel in Traverse Town, planning to spend the night there. Or, at least, Ven would spend the night there. Aqua wasn't quite sure when she'd get back…

"I'm going to go back to Neverland," she told Ven. "See if I can figure out what that darkness you sensed was."

"Okay." He seemed a bit skeptical, but otherwise un-bothered. "How long do you think it'll take?"

"I don't know," she replied, honestly. "But, if I don't come back-"

Ven laughed. "Of course you'll come back, Aqua! Don't talk like that!"

"Of course," she whispered. "But on the off chance I really _don't_ come back-"

"I'll come looking for you. Yeah?"

She just smiled. It looked like there was no arguing her way out of this one. "Yeah," she said, starting for the door.

"Hey!" Ven called, stopping her.

Aqua turned to him. He'd pulled his wayfinder out, and was holding it out to her. Recognizing the gesture, she pulled out her own wayfinder and held it so that the tips of their wayfinders touched. Ven slowly met her eyes.

"If you need my help," both his face and tone were completely serious, "just call me. I'll be right there."

"You said you didn't want to go near that darkness," Aqua reminded him, quietly. She couldn't quite place _why_ she was refusing his offer to help, though.

He just grinned. "There ain't no darkness that's going to keep me from helping out one of my best friends," he told her.

Unable to stop herself, she grinned, too. "Thanks, Ven."

XXX

Everything was quiet when she returned to Neverland. There weren't even very many Heartless. Aqua banished her Keyblade Glider, but kept her Keyblade out. She'd landed in the exact spot she and Ven had been in before they left. So… she just had to go... _that_ way.

It was a good thing she remembered which way the nudge had been trying to lead her, because the nudge was long gone, now. It hadn't started the moment she entered Neverland, like she almost hoped it would.

Did that mean whoever it was she was supposed to meet was gone?

She had a nasty feeling the answer to that was yes.

She slowly walked to the center of the next area, warily. No Heartless came to great her—which was odd, since she was in a separate area. In fact, the lack of Heartless worried her more than the thought of coming across the darkness she was hunting.

Though, it was getting harder to worry about the darkness she was hunting, since it was becoming pretty clear that there _was_ no darkness here. Whatever it was that Ven had sensed was… gone.

Aqua took a moment to sense the area herself, in case the darkness had merely moved elsewhere. She couldn't sense the darkness at all, but what she _did_ sense—

Lingering traces of an essence that felt like… Terra's.

She closed her eyes, sorting through all the other lingering traces. There were lingering traces of darkness, which didn't surprise her. There was a faint hint of a strong magic leftover in the air, too. And, clear as day, there was that trace of Terra's essence. He had been here.

Somehow.

It seemed a bit odd, remembering what state Terra had been in last time they'd seen each other. But she couldn't deny what she felt. And it most certainly felt like Terra had been here.

But where was he now?

There was nothing here.

No darkness.

No Heartless…

No Terra.

No… nothing.

Aqua let out a long breath, unsure of what to do now. It seemed a bit pointless to return to Traverse Town already, but… there wasn't anything for her to do here. The darkness was gone—left, for some reason. She was pretty clear of that.

_…_

_Was the darkness I sensed…Terra?_

She didn't want to think much about that possibility.

Even though it would explain why the darkness wasn't here… and why the nudge in her mind had stopped. If the nudge was leading her to Terra, and the darkness she had sensed was Terra…

Aqua didn't know what to do.

Now she wished she'd never left Neverland. If she had stayed… met whoever it was that she was apparently supposed to meet—be it Terra or not—then…

She sighed.

Then, at the very least, she'd have some answers.

Now she just had nothing.

Feeling very unaccomplished, and a bit angry at herself, Aqua returned to Traverse Town. There was no use staying in Neverland when there was nothing there for her.


	39. (DI) A Forgotten Connection

sort of companion chapter to ch141 of Dead Inside

I was having Vanitas feels (after reading something of magik's and then rereading the "Dark Memory" KH novel) and so I spewed this. Figured I might as well post it.

* * *

><p><em>Fear.<em>

Ven sat up straight, breathing heavily. Aqua shifted beside him, but didn't quite stir from her sleep. Ven just sat there, his half-asleep mind not quite comprehending what was going on. He certainly didn't understand why there was this terror choking him—like it had crept into his mouth and blocked his windpipe.

Why was he suddenly so _scared?_

_ Had it been something I was dreaming about?_ he wondered, slowly.

He couldn't remember what he was dreaming about, but he got the fleeting sense that he'd been drowning in that dream.

He clutched himself tightly, crossing his arms over his chest and squeezing his shoulders. It provided him little comfort. It hardly even anchored him to reality.

_"What if I never find him?"_

The thought was not his own.

_"Why can't this be the nightmare I can't wake up from?"_

He shuddered, hugging himself tighter.

Something flittered through his mind. A brief glimpse of a… memory? He couldn't tell. But it must've been, because he recognized this night:

_Aqua was smiling, holding up her wayfinder, claiming that they'd be together forever. All three of them._

But where was Terra now?

That, at least, was a question Ven was used to asking—to hearing. But before he could dwell on the familiarity of this—or wonder if what he was seeing might've been what was going through Aqua's head—a different, _stranger_, image came to him now.

_He was staring at himself. He had his Keyblade bared._

The scene shifted, and now he saw the memory through his own eyes.

_"You!" he screamed, furious, _terrified_ to see Vanitas here. "I _killed_ you!"_

_ "Mmm, no," Vanitas—was it Vanitas?—said, seeming confused. "I don't think you did."_

_ But he _had_ killed Vanitas. He remembered that, all too clearly. Sometimes it was hard to forget the feeling of having half your heart shattered into a thousand pieces. That wouldn't have happened had Vanitas survived._

_ So who was this person?_

_ And this darkness creeping in around him…_

Vanitas's laugh still rang in his ears. Ven quickly grabbed at his head, trying to shut it out. No. This wouldn't happen now. Not now.

_Dark walls surrounded him._

What?

The confusion didn't last. The laughter continued in his ears, blocking everything out. But it wasn't Vanitas's laughter, was it? It was…

_"Please, Master, I'm not strong enough!"_

Xehanort?

He remembered this scene…

_Neoshadows surrounded him. Xehanort wanted him to fight them. Had he been told to do it now, he probably wouldn't have hesitated—even if there were a lot of them, they didn't look _that_ strong. But, back then…_

_ He hardly even knew how to wield the Keyblade. This was too much._

_ "Don't do this! Please!" he cried, desperately._

_ He shouldn't have even tried._

The next bit was a blur, which didn't surprise him. This memory never was quite clear to him.

_A jolt went through his body._

_ "I will extract the darkness from within you myself."_

_ Xehanort's words were the last he heard._

_ And yet…_

_"Empty creature from Ventus riven… to you, the name _Vanitas_ shall be given."_

This was new.

_"Yes, Master."_

Vanitas's voice. Emotionless. Blank.

Broken.

_Xehanort laughed._

_ Vanitas's gaze drifted down to where Ven lay—Ven found it odd to see himself laying on the ground, all blank-eyed and wide-mouthed like that. But there was something so familiar about seeing this all through Vanitas's eyes that it was hard to dwell on it._

A new emotion surged through him.

_Sadness._

_ 'Why am I sad?'_

The thought wasn't his. It was his. It was. _Vanitas._

He was…

_Scared._

_ Lonely._

_ In pain._

_ Angry._

_ Disgusted._

_ Hurt._

_ "I hate you."_

_ Irritated._

_ Anxious._

_ "Stop it! Just stop it!"_

_ Jealous._

_ In agony._

_ "Why are you still sleeping?"_

_ Worried._

Ven cried out in shock. He quickly covered his mouth with his hands, but it was too late; he'd already woken Aqua.

"Ven? What's wrong?"

"He… was worried about me…" Ven breathed.

His stomach was knotted a thousand ways. The reality of an empathy link that he'd shared but ignored was weighing hard on him. He'd thought for so long that Vanitas felt nothing. Couldn't feel anything. Wasn't human enough to, even though Vanitas was born of his own heart.

And yet…

"Who was?" Aqua asked, confused.

Ven just shook his head. He was too shocked. Too stunned. Unable to believe it. He could not make himself speak Vanitas's name.

"You sure you weren't dreaming?" Aqua said, smiling reassuringly at him.

"M-maybe I was," he stuttered.

But it felt too real to be a dream, even if the memories and their emotions were dulled by the passage of time.

He felt awful.

Tears were welling up in his eyes.

Why had he ignored Vanitas's pain? Hadn't he felt it just as sharply?

_Could I have helped…?_

That thought was worse than the rest.


	40. (CE) Extra Content 4: Ienzo

I'm a lazy bum and should be writing. But I decided to put together the extra chapter for the Ienzo sequence, instead (it's kinda long, considering the sequence was six chapters)

EDIT! fixed it so there were Xs between each different snippet so it didn't all flow together (because I apparently didn't think that was a good idea when I arranged this?)

* * *

><p><strong>Random thoughts that crossed Vexen's mind during the first chapter that were either removed or changed (but mainly changed)<strong>

**~concerning coming to this universe**

He'd come to this universe to see his Riku Replica, but besides that… there wasn't much reason for him to be here. Of course, he was avoiding Xehanort, but that didn't mean he had any… purpose in this universe.

~**concerning Namine's meltdowns (this was only edited slightly)**

Part of him wanted to keep pressing for research anyway – it would pride him to know he'd been the first to figure it all out – but the rest of him knew that it wasn't going to get him anywhere. Riku wouldn't let him anywhere near Namine, and even if Riku did (and Riku'd have to be desperate to do so), there wasn't a likely chance there was any more knowledge he could gain just by studying or even questioning her.

**~about the Rebellion being over soon**

The only way this was going to be over "quickly" is if someone got rid of Saix, and probably the rest of the Organization while they were at it.

**x**

**~this stayed in the chapter, it's just the last bit was cut off because Vexen's thinking was interrupted. Here's the full thought process**

Certainly, if Xehan—Xemnas wished them all dead, it wouldn't take him much effort to come kill them all. Why were they still alive? Did he just not think it worth his time? Was there some other purpose the Replicas had originally been built for, and thus killing them would render the purpose/plan void? He shuddered at the thought, though he did not put it past Xeha—Xemnas to do such a thing. It definitely was right up his alley.

**x**

**~this was changed because I needed Vexen to mistake Joseph's scream for Ienzo, but this is what I had in mind originally**

His thoughts were interrupted by a scream that he didn't doubt belonged to Joseph. It was only a few seconds before Joseph came into view, running in his direction, chased by a Heartless of the Soldier variety.

**x**

**~I'm sure I mentioned somewhere, but I originally wrote some of this under the impression that Vexen knew Lexaeus had been killed. Here's what I wrote before I found out otherwise**

"I betrayed him," Vexen sighed. "He doesn't take kindly to traitors. He killed Lexaeus with hardly a-" The words caught in his throat, as an all-too-familiar terror gripped his chest. Zexion – _Ienzo – _had betrayed Xehanort, too. He was undoubtedly dead. There was no likely way he'd managed to avoid Xehanort's wrath.

"Hardly a…?" Joseph prompted, but then noticed the look on Vexen's face. "What's wrong?"

"He's dead," Vexen whispered, not wanting to say the words, as if it would avoid making them true. "Ienzo – Zexion – is dead. Xehanort killed him."

Joseph frowned, concerned. "You sure?"

"He betrayed Xehanort just as I did. There is no doubt he's dead."

"I don't know," Joseph said. "If your Zexion's anything like ours, he likely put up a decent fight. He could've gotten away."

"But Lexaeus did not," Vexen replied. "Xehanort killed him. He killed Zexion, too. There is no likely way Zexion escaped when Lexaeus did not." He slowly rubbed his head. "I feel awful. I came to this universe to see Riku, yes, but also to escape Xehanort. Did I think once about Ienzo before I left? No. I only wanted to save my own skin."

Joseph laid a hand on his arm, trying to be comforting. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Xehanort probably would've killed you, too, if you had stayed, right?"

"That doesn't change anything. I still feel awful. I feel like I should've tried anyway."

Joseph sighed. "You want another ice cream?" he asked. "Ice cream always makes me feel better when I'm upset."

Vexen shook his head. "No, but thank you anyway, Joseph."

"I still think you should go to the other universe," Joseph said after a moment.

Vexen turned to him, not sure if he was upset or just plain exasperated that Joseph had suggested that again. "We already said that Ienzo was most likely dead, did we not?"

"_Most likely,_" Joseph said, smiling. "There's a chance he's still alive. And you won't know until you go find out."

"But Xehanort-"

"Time passes quicker in your universe, right? It's been…" Joseph took a second to count. "Like, three months since you got here. Three months is plenty of time for someone to stop Xehanort, right? And they had even _longer_ than that!"

True. Sora and his friends had most likely taken care of Xehanort in that amount of time.

But that didn't mean Ienzo was alive…

"Do you want _me_ to go find out for you?" Joseph asked. "I can!"

"No," Vexen said, firmly. "29 would kill me if he found out I gave you permission to go to another universe. He panics enough when you go to a different World!"

Joseph grimaced.

"But you aren't going to go?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He suddenly sounded very grumpy.

Vexen shrugged, almost helplessly.

"So what are you going to do!?" Joseph demanded. "Are you just going to sit here and mope, then?" He didn't give Vexen the chance to reply. "'Cause if you are, then I'm going back to Castle Oblivion. You're bumming me out."

When Vexen didn't answer, Joseph formed a dark corridor around himself and was gone.

**~of course, Vexen **_**didn't **_**know about Lexaeus' death, so this had to be changed…**

**x**

**~then, this bit magik put in, but we (I?) ended up changing it slightly because Ienzo was supposed to ask about 29 and we completely forgot**

"I think that makes sense," Joseph said, scratching his head.

"I do have another question for you," Ienzo began. "Are you made out of data?"

At this, Ienzo moved his head so that he could _almost _look at Joseph with both eyes, given the fact that his hair hung down over the right one.

Joseph nodded. "Both me and Toby are. We're experiments that Master Vexen put together to see if he could splice data."

"Interesting," Ienzo mused.

Joseph grinned.

**x**

**~ahh… here's the original rant (I've posted this on my blog) (Joseph is speaking)**

"Our Replica Program is _sooo _messed up right now. Like, if I were to write a book about all the technicalities, and exactly what happened and stuff, the book would probably be over five hundred pages. And that's a lot of pages."

**~which had it made it into the story, would've looked like this:**

"Would it really have taken that long?" Toby asked, as they arrived back in Castle Oblivion. "Explaining it to Ienzo?"

Joseph shrugged. "Probably. I know Ienzo—Zexion—whoever. They're all the same, and they're all really curious about detail. Do you know how much detail is involved in what's going on in our universe? IF I were to write a book about what's going on with the Rebellion alone, it would be over five hundred pages, okay? _That's_ how complicated this all is."

**~but that snippet between Joseph and Toby was cut, and was replaced by Joseph making the comment to Vexen**

**x**

**~Random paragraph that was taken out because it didn't flow. (It would've gone shortly after Pi calls Vexen "sir")**

_Sir. _Now there was something he hadn't been called in a while—well, Pi had used the term once in their conversation before, but Vexen was only just now realizing how odd it sounded. Only Riku ever called him "sir" anymore, and it was often in a sarcastic manner.

**x**

**~erm… template dialogue between Ienzo and Vexen (and I have to slap some extra description on it because fanfic don't likey chat format)**

"With all that going on over there, are you sure you'd be alright to come over here?" Ienzo asked.

"Well, as I already said, I'm practically useless over there," Vexen explained. "I'm not a terribly good fighter, and Alpha won't let me anywhere near the computers, so I can't help in that regard."

"Alpha?" Ienzo raised his eyebrows. "Vexen Replica?"

Vexen chuckled. "Do you seriously think that the Replica Program that produced Joseph would only have Replicas made of Vexen? Of course not. Alpha is a Zexion Replica. The Vexen Replicas are classified by number."

Ienzo nodded, understanding. "Who else are there Replicas of?"

"Marluxia—they're classified by names of plants. There are Replicas of Larxene, too," he grimaced. "Classified by letter. Then… I think that's it. Oh wait! There are some Lexaeus Replicas, also, though I've only met one or so of them. Not sure what they're classified by…" He trailed off. "I suppose I can ask…"

"That all?"

Vexen nodded. "I believe so. Wait! No, sorry, there's one of Xigbar. Just one."

"Any others?" Ienzo sounded a bit amused by this.

"Not of Organization members, no."

"But there are more Replicas?"

"I spend my days surrounded by Replicas."

**x**

**~more dialogue that got cut**

"What about the other universe? Do you have any problems over there?" Ienzo asked.

Vexen groaned. "The Organization over there is a pain! Were we that bad?"

"To Sora and his friends? Probably."

**x**

**~then this bit… (Vexen's speaking)**

"Actually, it's not entirely the Organization. It's mainly Saix. I used to have some respect for the man, then I met the one in the other universe…"

**x**

**~and then this rant of Vexen's that got cut because it didn't flow! (which is a pity because it was a nice rant…) (Ienzo's referring to my Vexen, to begin with)**

"Sora killed him?" Ienzo asked.

"No… Riku, actually," Vexen replied. "Sora's a lot… a lot less… He's different, in this universe." Vexen was silent for a minute, thinking, before he said: "If I were to pick a person who I'd say was the most different between universes, I'd probably say Sora." He grimaced, then. "Though… Namine would be a close second. Even if there might be reasons for her being different…"

"There's a Namine in that universe?"

"Yes, though she's a Replica," Vexen said, a bit distracted.

Ienzo chuckled. "I'm assuming that there are other differences than that, given the look on your face."

"Well… she's different. She's…" Vexen sighed. "I'm not sure how to explain it. She's just different. A lot more talkative, I suppose, though that probably isn't a good example. I only remember the Namine here from the days in Castle Oblivion—so maybe my terms of 'different' aren't quite accurate. I know the Namine from this universe as quiet, but, the poor girl, we probably scared her to death!" He shook his head, a bit disgusted at the thought. "It's no wonder she hardly ever talked."

Ienzo shrugged slightly in agreement.

"The Namine in that universe, though—" Vexen continued. "I don't think she really understands fear. With Riku so protective of her and all, she hardly has any _need_ for fear, because I'm positive that she believes Riku will always protect her—she knows nothing else. How can you truly fear when you have someone who you believe will always save you, no matter the danger? No matter what's after you, or harming you, or whatever it is you're facing?"

"I suppose you can't…" Ienzo said, slowly.

**x**

**~then this bit… was changed because we decided to put a chapter break between the Vexen and Ienzo's lines, but here's what the transition would've looked like had there not been a chapter break**

"No one's mentioned such a thing, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did." (Vexen is speaking here.)

Ienzo merely nodded. The room was silent for a moment, before he asked: "What's Sora like, in that universe, then, if your Riku Replica's the one who's been dealing with the Organization?"

**x**

**~then there's this bit which I cut (I cut the end bit, anyway, the beginning is just there so you know where the cut bit goes and why am I explaining this?)**

Vexen laughed and shook his head. "You can tell I spend my days surrounded by Replicas! But I mean the Vexen of their universe. I wish I could ask him about their Replica Program—no one is going to know it better than him."

"He might come back, you know," Ienzo said. "_You_ certainly did."

"I suppose that's true…" Vexen said, slowly. "But I suppose then it would be awkward. 'Hi, yes, I'm you from a parallel universe. No, I am not here to steal your place in this universe—not that I could've if I wanted to—I'm just here because I was on the run and ended up here and never bothered to leave.'"

**x**

**~here's the original draft of Vexen freaking out about Larxene. (Ignore the notes in parenthesis, I was too lazy to edit them out)**

"So did anyone else from the Organization survive?" Vexen asked.

"Axel did," Ienzo said.

"Not surprised," Vexen laughed.

"I think Xigbar's still alive," Ienzo continued. "And I have reason to believe Marluxia and Larxene are still alive, though I haven't seen either—Are you all right?"

Vexen was shaking. At the mention of Larxene, it was like his stomach was turned inside-out. "She's still alive?" he asked, voice cracking slightly. Terror was clawing at his chest, not because of her, but because of what she might do to—

Was that anger he was feeling, along with the terror?

"Larxene?" Ienzo said, slowly. "Well, she came back like the rest of us, and—what is wrong?"

Vexen slowly gripped the edge (arm?) of the couch (his seat?) trying to steady himself. It didn't do much good. "I'm… angry," he said. "It's been a while since I've felt anger. I've felt frustration, yes, and annoyance, certainly. Anger is like a mix between the two, but much, _much_ stronger."

"You're analyzing your emotions, Vexen," Ienzo stated, plainly.

"I know, I just-" he faltered. "I don't want to admit I'm angry at her."

"Why not? It's Larxene. You've never liked her."

"But this-" Vexen swallowed. "This is a different kind of anger. I'm… I want to strangle her, actually, but I'm also angry at myself, and I'm… scared." He shuddered slightly.

(Or Vexen could've/might've/wanted to say "I know that, rationally, going and hunting her down to strangle her isn't going to get me anywhere, but that doesn't change the desire to do so that is plainly present in my heart.")

Ienzo raised his eyebrows. "Of her?"

"Of course not!" Vexen said, and shook his head. "I'm scared of what she might do to-" He caught himself, and shook his head.

"To your Riku?" Ienzo finished.

"You know?"

"I was there…"

"Right." Vexen slowly let go of the arm of the couch, and laughed nervously. The arm of the couch was coated in a thin layer of ice. He pulled the ice back into him, not wanting to leave it there to melt and ruin Ienzo's furniture. "Emotions are such funny things," he mused. "One mention of Larxene, and I lose control of myself…"

He tensed again. "But I want- I'd do anything to make sure she does not touch him, does not harm him, does not go anywhere near him again." He let out an annoyed breath, and tried to make himself calm down, though the anger would not leave him.

"Vexen," Ienzo said, calmly. "He's in another universe. What are the chances of her finding him?"

"Slim," Vexen replied.

"And the chances of her even caring enough to go looking for him?"

"Unlikely."

"See? Then there is nothing to worry about."

Vexen slowly nodded, taking a deep breath. Ienzo was right. It didn't really change anything about what he felt—he still wanted to strangle her—but he knew that Riku was safe. Provided he didn't tell Riku she was still alive, anyway, because if he knew he'd do something stupid and anger her…

He shook his head. "I'm sorry," he told Ienzo. "I've been acting-"

"Like you always have," Ienzo finished. "Except when you lacked a heart to feel such things."

**x**

**~random snippets from a brainstorm/outline thing I did…**

"What are you doing here?" Vexen asked.

"I wanted to make sure things were going okay!" Joseph replied, grinning.

"Weren't you in trouble?"

"Heh… heheh…"

**~and…**

"Toby's not here, is he?" Vexen asked.

Joseph shook his head. "Nope! He was sleeping and I couldn't get him to wake up, so… I just didn't bring him. He won't mind."

**~and then this got left out…**

"I'm useless to the Rebellion!" Vexen protested. "I can hardly fight, and Alpha won't let me near the computers."

"Then just don't as Alpha!" Joseph replied, simply.

"But all the computers are password-locked," Vexen said, slowly.

"Not Master Vexen's!"

Vexen frowned. "His computer's not-"

"Not the computer itself, no. A lot of his files are, but the passwords are simple and I know them." Joseph grinned.

**~this got changed.**

"You should've left!" Vexen told Joseph, sternly.

"You told me to stay here!" Joseph protested.

"I told you to stay away from the Heartless," Vexen countered. "_You_ said you planned to return before 29 noticed you were gone!"

"Well-"

"I'm not covering for you. This is your mess to deal with."

Joseph pouted. "Figured…"

**x**

**~then this bit wasn't flowing…**

"It really must be confusing for you to be around him sometimes," Ienzo said, quietly.

"Yes," Vexen said, not entirely paying attention. "But did you see the way he did his math? I wonder though… why did he have to work it out like that? I'd assume he's already learned division, so shouldn't he know the answer to such a simple problem without—"

Ienzo shot him a look, and Vexen closed his mouth.

**x**

**~idk what this is**

"29 won't notice I'm gone!" Joseph assured Vexen.

"He noticed last time," Vexen argued.

"No, he walked up right behind me as I said I'd been to a parallel universe."

**x**

**~and then… that's it**


	41. (AU) Joseph in the wrong Twilight Town

okay, so, this idea is really old. Like, nearly a year old. After writing ch44 of Betwixt and Between, magik informed me that Joseph wanted to show up sometime before Kairi woke up. Joseph then started blabbing about the idea in my head, and I got this whole introduction thing written down...

And I stumbled across it today and decided to post it. (Well, after I transformed it from only dialogue to story). It isn't the greatest writing ever, and there might be continuity errors. I don't care. This is AU. I don't want to spend more time than necessary on it.

ALSO! I know I've disappeared off the face of fanfic, but as I've mentioned on both my blog and my tumblr (yes I have a tumblr now. tumblr is cool.), I want to write _all_ of the sequence I'm currently working on before I post it. The sequence could take me another five or so chapters. Just give me some time, and you'll see updates in Dead Inside soon

* * *

><p>Joseph stretched and shook himself out after landing in Twilight Town. The transit had been rougher than usual for some reason. That, and… he was at the Sunset Terrance, and not the town itself.<p>

"Well _that's_ no good," he muttered to himself. "Not that I don't love the scenery, but—hold on." He frowned, took a second glance around. "Crud. This feels all… different. I must've ended up in the wrong-" He froze, eyes going wide as they finished processing what—_who—_he was seeing. "Ohmigosh! Xion!?"

She looked up at the sound of her name.

"It _is_ you!" Joseph started in her direction—their direction, really, since more than just Xion was here. "I mean, it's not _technically _you, but- wow. This is so weird!"

"I'm confused… who are you?" Xion asked.

"Joseph!" Joseph said, saluting. "From a parallel universe!"

"Oh so _you're _Joseph!" Xion exclaimed.

Joseph grinned. "I've been mentioned!" That made things so much easier. "By whom?"

"Uh… Namine," Xion said. "And I was in your universe once."

"Really?" Joseph asked, a bit surprised. "Who did—hey wait a minute! What's up with Kairi?" He knelt down next to her for a second, studying her face. She was breathing—but unconscious. "She okay?"

"She's fine; she just overexerted herself," a different voice answered.

Joseph looked up, and was surprised to see Aqua. He'd completely ignored her (and the other two people that were here) in his surprise about Xion and worry over Kairi. He straightened, grinning.

"And look who _else_ is here!" he said. "What is with me and running into you in Twilight Town? I mean, it's only happened twice now, and the other time was in my universe, but it's one of those 'weird it happened twice' things. The only think that could possibly make this weirder is if I was being attacked by Berserkers…" He took a quick glance around to double check, but, nope, no Berserkers. He turned back to Aqua, holding up a hand to stop her from introducing herself. "Don't bother! I already know you're Aqua, and you're-" He turned to the other boy, and paused. It was either Ven or Roxas. Hmm… "Ven?"

"Yeah," Ven said, nodding.

Joseph punched the air. "Yeah! Got it right! Wasn't sure if you were you or Roxas, and it's hard to tell when you're identical." He shrugged. "_Plus,_ Xion's here, and it could be Roxas here with Xion, but Aqua's also here, and I ran into you and her in my universe… so…"

"How'd you figure it out?" Ven asked, looking a bit excited.

Joseph just grinned. "Lucky guess. Which, speaking of luck-" He pulled three WINNER sticks out of his pocket. "Don't bother thanking me," he said, handing them out. "Don't bother repaying me; I've still got a plethora at home."

"You're one… strange boy," the other person here mused, looking at the WINNER stick he'd just been handed.

Joseph glanced up at him—he was kind of tall. "You must be Terra!" he said. It had to be, really, with how he stood so close to Aqua. "Nice to meet you, since I never actually have."

Terra frowned and raised his eyebrows. "Then how do you know my name?"

"Aqua mentioned you once," Joseph explained. He shifted slightly, plastering fake discomfort on his face. "And that's all I'll say before I embarrass someone."

"_What!?_" Aqua and Terra shrieked simultaneously.

Joseph burst out laughing. "I kid! She only mentioned you in passing! But that was so worth the looks on your faces!" He turned and high-fived the also laughing Ven.

"Shouldn't we wake up Kairi now?" Xion asked, stifling laughter of her own.

"One sec," Joseph told her, and pulled out two more WINNER sticks. He handed them both to Xion. "I don't happen to have any more on me, which means there's not enough for Kairi. So… if you could pocket those…"

Aqua, Terra, and Ven went and did so. Xion stared at the two WINNER sticks she was holding for a second more.

"You… handed me two, though…" she said, slowly.

"The other one's for Roxas," Joseph explained. "If I had another one, I'd give you it for Axel… but… then I should've given it to Kairi… agh. Anyway, yeah, one of those is for Roxas."

Xion nodded, understanding, and pocketed the WINNER sticks.

"Joseph, you okay?" Ven asked.

Joseph cringed. "Oh geeze, I'm not crying, am I?"

"Is… something wrong?"

"No, I-" Joseph quickly shook his head and wiped his eyes. "Why am I crying? Me and Xion never got along… she practically hated me! Not that- not that I blame her. She had trouble trusting anyone who wasn't Roxas… it took her ages to warm up to Axel. Besides-"

"There's a Xion in your universe?" Xion asked, excitedly. Then she frowned. "Wait… you were speaking in past tense…" Her eyes widened as the realization hit her. "Oh gosh, I'm dead, aren't I?"

Joseph nodded and wiped his eyes again. "Claymore shoved through your gut, gone before you hit the ground."

There was a general hiss of disapproval among the group.

"Replicas don't die that fast!" Xion protested.

"Not normally, no," Joseph agreed. "But you- she- there was something wrong with her data and it was kind of just falling apart and-"

"She didn't do anything to fix it!?"

"Didn't trust anyone enough. Saix kinda had it out for her."

"And he _killed_ her?"

"Yep."

"She didn't put up a fight?"

"Couldn't summon her Keyblade."

"Run?"

"Couldn't form dark corridors; he had her cornered."

Xion let an annoyed and disbelieved breath. "And Roxas…?" she asked, slowly.

Joseph shrugged. "I know he yelled at Saix the next day. If you have time, you should come over to my universe and watch the surveillance footage! It's pretty sweet—well, until Saix kills Roxas…" Joseph grimaced. "It's fun to watch them yell, though."

"Hold up!" Xion said. "Saix killed _Roxas_, too?"

"Yeah…"

"_That _can't have gone over well with the Organization," Xion muttered.

"Well, Roxas was a Replica in my universe," Joseph said.

"Still, that can't have gone over well with the Organization," Xion said. "Trust me, I remember; the Organization was very intent on having at least one Keyblade wielder, and I doubt your Organization is any different than mine was."

"It wasn't. I think Xemnas yelled at Saix about it."

Xion chuckled. "I would've liked to see that…"

* * *

><p>and... then I stopped there. Because I'd run out of ideas for this and, again, not going to waste time on it. Let me know if you <em>really really <em>want me to continue this. I might if I have spare time and there's enough demand for it


	42. (DI) 19 and Edd (yay for boring titles)

okay, so, I've needed to upload this for ages, but I just... haven't gotten around to it. I keep pulling up the scene and deciding against it every time.

This scene is borderline AU. It's, ah, "canon" for the most part, but since my timing for everything concerning Edd hasn't had much detail put into it, there's a chance this could be retconed or... other things. (that and for some reason, despite the fact I love to drop notafic hints with Edd everywhere, I have trouble labeling anything with him in it as canon, Truth Hurts excluded)

This scene takes place roughly after ch126 (technically after 19 leaves the room in ch127) Or, it happens somewhere in there. Erm, maybe it doesn't. See how I am with timing? (It's just... it doesn't entirely make sense?) Lemme talk about timing for a bit. I've mentioned somewhere that, during the Truth Hurts, Edd jumps into the future twice to gather data to help build Namine. This scene takes place one of those times (and it's sometime after ch126 but probably not _right after_) and, erm... I really don't have timing for this chapter figured out I sort of just wrote it.

anyway enjoy!

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><p>"I didn't ask for this!"<p>

Edd turned to him, looking downright confused.

"What?"

"_This_," 19 held up the binder to prove his point. "If I had known what I was getting myself into, I doubt I would've agreed to this."

Edd stared.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

It was 19's turn to stare.

"You don't?"

Edd shook his head. "I swear, if I did anything to hurt you, which it's really no surprise if I did, I am extremely sorry."

19 only continued to stare.

"Time travel," Edd explained, sighing. "It's complicated. The event you're referring to just probably hasn't happened to me yet." Edd shrugged apologetically. "You can still get mad at me if you want. No guarantee I'll be able to do another jump like this."

19 stared a second more, and then threw the binder to the ground. It skidded into the corner.

"I never wanted _this_!" he screamed.

Edd frowned.

"I- I'm sorry," 19 stuttered after a moment. "I've had a bad… week."

"I know," Edd said slowly. "You lost your brother, and… somebody named Tulip." He made a face. "And 23's betrayed you."

"How do you know?"

"You were thinking very loudly."

"_What_?"

Edd shifted uncomfortably. "I… have the ability to read minds, and it takes more effort to shut it off than to let it run on autopilot." He glanced over at the binder, a bit suspiciously. "I didn't mean to intrude or anything. Sorry."

"It's… it's perfectly okay," 19 assured him.

Edd nodded, slowly moving over to the binder.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," 19 added. "And… throwing that."

"Yeah." Edd knelt down next to the binder, slowly opening it. He immediately shut it and turned to 19, furious. "Are these her pictures?" he demanded.

19 frowned. "Yes," he said, sounding rather confused.

"Where did you get them!?"

"You… gave them to me…"

"I did no such thing!"

Edd was on his feet now, the glare in his eyes cold and unforgiving. A glare that reminded 19 too much of Saix for comfort, and he backed away slightly in fear.

He did not know the extent of Edd's powers.

He was beginning to think that he did not wish to find out.

"Maybe- maybe you haven't yet," he stammered. "Sir," he added hastily.

Edd rolled his eyes and turned away. "Oh don't flatter me!"

19 swallowed. "You said you needed someone to keep them safe," he explained.

"And just what else did I say!?"

"Should I tell you?"

Edd stared for a moment, almost seeming surprised that 19 had _dared_ talk back to him, then he sighed and turned away. "No," he said. "You shouldn't."

19 nodded, unsure if he should do anything else.

"I'm sorry I frightened you," Edd whispered. "Old habits die hard, I guess." He laughed, though it was bitter.

"It's alright," 19 assured him.

Edd muttered something that sounded remarkably like "no it's not" before bending down to pick the binder up. "Is there anything else in here?" he asked, glancing up at 19.

"Yes."

"Where is it?"

19 frowned, not quite understanding the question.

"Is it in front of or behind the pictures?" Edd clarified.

"Uhm-"

"Don't tell me it's in the middle!"

"No. Sorry. Back. It's in the back."

"Thank you," Edd muttered, flipping _very_ quickly to the back of the binder.

"Reports I've found from Master Vexen," 19 answered, though he had not been asked. "A page of Namine's thoughts, and a report from you."

Edd groaned. "I have to write a report!? I _hate_ reports!"

19 cleared his throat. "You could write a little neater, when you do," he said.

Edd glared, though it was more annoyed than cruel. He closed the binder and hastily put it down.

He was silent for a moment.

"You've seen… _everything_ from the pictures, haven't you?"

"You never told me not to look," 19 replied.

"Has it hurt you?" Edd pressed.

"The pictures?" 19 asked.

Edd nodded.

19 shook his head. "No. Not the pictures."

"You're lying," Edd said simply, almost casually.

19 chuckled. "I suppose I shouldn't be trying to lie to you."

Edd smiled. "I didn't read your mind, if that's what you're suggesting." He glanced at the binder. "I've just seen what's in there, and I know it's impossible not to be hurt by it."

19 wondered for a moment how Edd knew. But, then again, why was he surprised? With a mind like Edd's, he probably didn't even have to view the picture to hear the memory it contained.

They were all probably screaming at him now.

19 suddenly felt very sorry for Edd.

That had to be maddening.

"Please," he said, finished with his thoughts. "The momentary pain the pictures cause is nothing compared to the wall they put between me and my brother."

Edd was silent a moment more.

"I don't have to give them to you, you know," he said finally. "I can give them to someone else."

"No you can't."

"I haven't done it yet, so I can still change—"

"Don't." 19 was much firmer this time. "There's no guarantee that it wouldn't change things too much, and you can't risk something going wrong."

Edd shook his head.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone," he whispered, voice cracking. "Not this time around."

19 slowly reached out to him, but then pulled his hand back, scared of what Edd might do. Being around Edd was like treading around glass. You had to be careful. "Edd, listen to me. The wall between us was not the only reason 23 betrayed me. There's no guarantee that it was the only thing keeping me from making him see sense, either. The fact that I don't have the pictures might not change that."

"It's not your burden to bear."

19 laughed slightly.

"Is it anyone's?"

Edd shook his head.

"It shouldn't be."

When he looked at the binder again, there was a glare in his eyes.

"I could destroy them," he said. "Maybe they're too dangerous to keep around."

"You wouldn't…" 19 said, shocked.

"There's a lot of things that I 'wouldn't' do, and yet I do them anyway." He looked at 19 one last time. "Maybe for once I won't regret it."

And in a rush of cold wind, he was gone.

19 stared at the spot he had previously occupied, too stunned to do anything.

He couldn't understand why Edd would even consider such a thing.

Then he thought of the maddening voices.

The pain he had felt—

And he understood.

He slowly sat down, understanding that life as he currently knew it could change any second.

And…

Secretly hoping that the new life had 23 in it.


	43. Extra: Heckuvalong Raid ch2 (DIch143)

okay so I mentioned on my blog that I'd actually intended for Demyx to show up in this sequence, but later decided that he wasn't needed and killed the flow of things. Here is what I wrote that involved him before I scrapped the idea (it's not much)

* * *

><p>"This is ridiculous," Riku groaned, swinging his blade through one of Demyx's water forms (which thankfully killed it) and dodging out of the way of the bullets that were still being fired at him. Xigbar and his clone had at least been kind enough to swap from a constant string of bullets to a not-quite-as constant string of bullets, allowing him time enough to deal with the Dusks and water forms nearest him before they could do him any harm.<p>

One of the Xigbars (Riku still had no clue which was which) laughed. "Ridiculous?"

The two Xigbars exchanged glances.

"As if," they said, in perfect unison.

_xXx_

However, Vexen'd only about gotten to the center of the room when—of all people—_Demyx_ appeared to block his path.

"Demyx!?" Vexen spluttered. What was _he_ doing here? Yes, the Organization was apparently plotting something big, but why send _Demyx?_ He wasn't _that_ good of a fighter!

"I know, what am I doing here?" Demyx replied, plucking a few strings on his sitar. "But, both Xaldin and Luxord are busy, apparently. So they had to send _me._"

"Hey!" One of Xigbar's bullets flew past, nearly hitting Demyx. "Less chatting, more fighting!"

Demyx sighed dramatically. He then strummed a chord on his sitar and cried: "Dance water, dance!" summoning about twenty of his water forms.

Vexen groaned.

_xXx_

Snapdragon was currently fighting a Lexaeus Replica and Bloodroot—a fellow Marluxia Replica, who was about of a good fighter as he was. About. Did he mind that he was taking on two _fairly strong_ opponents at once? No.

He'd attacked Bloodroot the moment he'd arrived. Then he had to save Thistle from the Lexaeus Replica, which put him in the position he was in now.

The Lexaeus Replica swung at him. Snapdragon dodged and blocked Bloodroot's scythe with his own. There was a moment's reprieve where he was able to take a glance at the area around him.

Thistle wasn't far from here, and was currently focusing on taking out the lesser Nobodies that were milling about. Thistle wasn't a bad fighter, but he was known to crack under pressure, which was why Snapdragon had gotten the Lexaeus Replica off of his back. However, if Ivy over there decided to attack Thistle, Snapdragon wasn't going to help.

Snapdragon jumped away from Bloodroot and swung at the Lexaeus Replica. He actually managed to land a hit on the Lexaeus Replica's arm, but the Lexaeus Replica didn't seem very fazed by it. Oh well.

"Dance water, dance!"

Mercy.

When had _Demyx_ gotten here?

"Amaryllis!" Snapdragon called. It came out as something more like a grunt, as he had to block a blow from the Lexaeus Replica about then. "We need back up!"


	44. Extra: Heckuvalong Raid ch3 (DIch144)

spamming you with chapters to ASAS! Sorry! I meant to upload these about three or so days after I posted the chapter to Dead Inside, to give you "bi-weekly" updates, but it just kept slipping my mind! I'll try and keep on track with that now!

* * *

><p><strong>~this is actually a scene from ch2, but the ending requires it being posted with chapter three. I spread a lot of things out when rewriting.<strong>

"What is going on?"

Amaryllis glanced up from what he was doing, which was dealing with a few Assassins. It was Vexen. He finished one of the Assassins off and sighed.

"Axel's betrayed us," 7 explained, though, before Amaryllis needed to.

Vexen snorted. "There's a surprise," he muttered, sarcastically. "What'd he do? Is he behind all this?"

"Yup," Amaryllis said, taking out another Assassin.

"He's gone after the external, too," 7 said, freezing the last Assassin solid. Amaryllis swung his scythe at it, which shattered the ice and did quite a bit of damage to the Assassin. It wasn't long before the Assassin was dead.

"He knew where that was?" Vexen asked.

"Apparently…" 7 replied.

"And none of you decided to stop him?"

"Us? Take on _Axel?_" Amaryllis rolled his eyes. "Snapdragon might've survived, but the rest of us were practically built to be weaker than most Organization members. And since Riku's busy…"

They all glanced in Riku's direction. He was still dealing with Xigbar and his clone and their bullets.

"What do you mean… Snapdragon might've survived?" Vexen asked, turning back to Amaryllis.

Amaryllis nodded over in Snapdragon's direction. Snapdragon was currently taking on both a Lexaeus Replica and a Marluxia—Amaryllis thought it might've been Bloodroot, but he couldn't quite tell from here.

"Oh," Vexen said. "Why _didn't_ he go after Axel, then?"

"He was saving Thistle from the Lexaeus Replica at the time," 7 said.

Vexen scanned the room. "Where's Alpha?"

"Followed Axel, trying to see what he was doing," Amaryllis replied.

"I'll go see if I can help him…" Vexen said, slowly, and then started off.

Amaryllis sighed in relief and turned to 7. "That takes care of him!" he said once Vexen was gone, shaking his head. "Goodness, he's a pain to deal with during the raids, sometimes."

7 just shrugged. "I think I'll go get those Dusks off of Riku's tail. He's got enough on his hands without them."

Amaryllis nodded and glanced around the room. Snapdragon was still fighting the Lexaeus Replica and the Marluxia Replica who might've been Bloodroot. He seemed to faring rather well. Thistle was working on getting rid of some of the lesser Nobodies. There was another Marluxia Replica standing off to the side looking a bit bored; he didn't have anyone to fight, it seemed. There were still two—wait. Hadn't there been two Larxenes in that corner? Well, they were gone now, if they had been there. In the other corner a Marluxia and a Vexen were fighting. Amaryllis wasn't sure who the Marluxia was, but the Vexen was 25—he was on their side. Not far from them, 29 was dealing with a few Dragoons.

From the looks of things, it was all going well. They hadn't even needed to call in backup.

Amaryllis was about to turn to the Xigbars and ask them, mockingly, quite _what_ they're plan was and then point out that this raid was turning in the Rebellion's favor when a dark corridor opened in the center of the room, not far from Thistle.

And out stepped—

"Xemnas…?"

_xXx_

The sounds of battle around him stopped. Even more surprising, however, was the fact that Xigbar and his clone stopped shooting bullets. Riku finished deflecting the last round that had been sent at him, and turned to see what had everyone's attention.

And, standing in the center of the room, Riku found none other than the leader of the Organization himself. Xemnas.

But what was he doing here?

Then again, his right-hand man and his right-hand man's clone were also here, so Riku supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Worried, maybe, just a bit.

His eyes widened in surprise anyway. Even if he really shouldn't have been surprised, it wasn't every day you saw the Organization's Number 1.

Xemnas glanced around the room. Everyone was absolutely still, as if under some notion that if they didn't move, he wouldn't see him. Xemnas started making his way towards the computer room. No one moved to stop him.

Xigbar grinned, reloaded his guns, and started shooting at Riku again.

**~this was scrapped before the rewrite**

Snapdragon debated stopping Xemnas as he passed—he was certainly close enough to do so—but before he had a chance to even try, the Lexaeus Replica hit him, _hard._ He grunted in pain, and turned to block the next blow. So much for going after Xemnas, now. Oh well. He was probably more use here, anyway.

He jumped backwards, distancing himself from the Lexaeus Replica, and attacked Bloodroot—the Marluxia he was also dealing with. Bloodroot attempted to block, but somehow missed, and Snapdragon managed to land a hit. Snapdragon smiled to himself, and hefted his scythe for another—hopefully fatal—blow while Bloodroot was reeling.

Before he could even swing his scythe, Bloodroot formed a dark corridor around himself. Snapdragon rolled his eyes, but wasn't surprised; no matter how good of a fighter he was, Bloodroot had always been a coward at heart.

"Amaryllis!" Snapdragon called, before the Lexaeus Replica could attack again. "Do we have any specific plans?"

Despite how good of a fighter he was, Snapdragon was certainly no leader.

"Get rid of them all?" Amaryllis suggested. He sounded a bit flustered. "That works the rest of the time!"

Snapdragon grunted, bringing up his scythe to block a blow from the Lexaeus Replica. He shifted his footing slightly to keep himself steady.

"If that's your plan, then maybe you should go take care of Ivy!" Snapdragon nodded in the direction of the unoccupied Marluxia Replica off to the side, before pushing the Lexaeus Replica away from him. He wasn't sure if Amaryllis listened or not, as the battle at hand was demanding his attention.

**~as was this**

It wasn't like Thistle was a terrible fighter. He just wasn't too sure about taking on a Lexaeus Replica alone, so he'd been all to glad to let the challenge-seeking Snapdragon fight the Lexaeus instead. Thistle had busied himself with taking out the lesser Nobodies since then, and had been doing such for nearly the entire battle. (He'd considered a time or two going and dealing with Ivy, but by the time he actually was prepared to do anything, Amaryllis had already engaged Ivy in battle.)

Dragoons were a pain (not as much of a pain as Berserkers), but manageable. Thistle could deal with them.

And he was in the middle of calmly, absent-mindedly taking them out when a dark corridor opened not ten feet from him.

And out stepped, of all people in the Worlds, _Xemnas._

Thistle hastily backed away, terrified, his eyes fixed on Xemnas, almost afraid that if he blinked that he'd be killed. Thankfully, Xemnas took little notice of him.


	45. Heckuvalong Raid: DIch151 original draft

So this is my original draft of ch151, which involves a very wonderful hypothetical discussion and a bit of Riku and Namine being cute. I had to scrap it, though, because it did absolutely nothing to forward the plot.

* * *

><p>"Not without the passwords, which I doubt Axel knows, and I doubt 26 will hand us," Alpha said. He shook his head. "It's too risky a gamble. Not even Luxord would attempt it. As I have said a million times, we're best off doing nothing."<p>

"Well-" Amaryllis began, but stopped.

Riku glanced up. Namine was standing in the doorway. He quickly scrambled to his feet, and before he could even say anything, she threw her arms around him. He made a face, a bit confused, but returned the hug.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi." She pulled away from him. "So, what are we doing? Assessing damage?"

"No." Alpha moved over so that she could see the computer screen. It still clearly showed 26 working on Roxas, while Xemnas stood off to the side and observed.

"Oh. They're still here." Namine frowned slightly, then moved closer to the computer. "Hang on, is that _Xemnas?_ Like, the leader of the Organization?" She turned to Riku. "What is he doing here?"

"Building a Replica," Riku said.

_Being a pain,_ he thought.

There was a pause.

"Do you think they're building one of me?" Namine asked.

Riku blinked a few times, a bit stunned at the question and the idea. "Uhm… well, we actually know who it-" He paused. "Why- What would they do with two of you?"

Namine folded her arms across her chest and put a serious look on her face. "They'd only have one of me, for starters, and I just figured since they've been so intent on kidnapping me, and haven't been able to, that they'd just, you know, build a Replica of me." She shrugged, then, her seriousness failing. "I admit it's not the soundest logic… just throwing the idea out there." She frowned. "But, though, you already said you knew who it is?"

"They're rebuilding Roxas," Vexen said.

"Roxas?"

"Their Keyblade wielder, and the reason they were going after the Program in the first place," Alpha said.

Namine nodded. "Does… Roxas have blond, kind of spikey hair?" she asked, pantomiming the idea of having spikey hair with her hands. "And blue eyes."

"Sounds like him," Amaryllis said.

"That explains a lot…" she muttered.

"Hmm?" Riku asked.

"Oh, I drew a picture of him. About two days ago." She grimaced. "Roughly."

Riku raised his eyebrows. "And you didn't mention it?"

"I had no clue who he was!" Namine replied.

"You didn't even show it to me!"

"It slipped my mind; give me a break!" She shot a half-glare at him. "And who says I have to show you _every_ picture I draw, anyway?"

"Well, you don't- I just…" He paused, flustered. "I could've told you who Roxas was," he muttered, defeated.

Namine's face softened. "I guess you could've, but… again it slipped my mind," she said. "Sorry about that."

"Besides, Namine," Alpha said. "They wouldn't be building a Replica of you, anyway. The purpose of kidnapping you in the first place was to get rid of Riku so they could snag the Program. They have the Program, so why bother with the first two steps?"

"They wouldn't need to Replicate you, either," Amaryllis added. "I'm sure Xemnas would much rather rewrite you than create another Replica entirely. And if he wanted to kidnap you, I doubt he'd have much trouble doing so."

Riku threw a glare in Amaryllis's direction.

Namine just shrugged. "I was just throwing the idea out there. And who knows? Maybe they'd do it because they still want to get rid of Riku."

"There are plenty of other ways for them to do that," Alpha said.

"Yes, plenty," Riku agreed. He quickly squashed the thoughts that immediately followed. Because he was _not_ weak, so what if Xemnas happened to be perfectly capable of—no he wouldn't think about it. Namine. Focus on her.

"Does that mean they're not going to try and kidnap me anymore?" Namine asked.

"We don't know," Alpha said.

"Axel said they wouldn't, but I'm not sure if I trust him…" Riku trailed off.

"It wouldn't work, Namine," Vexen said, a bit suddenly. "Building a Replica of you. We'd be able to tell the difference. She'd have a few personality differences—there's not much of a way she wouldn't if she'd been Programmed to kill Riku, and _want_ to kill him. Even if she tried to hide it, a person can only hide so much, and I'm sure someone would see through it."

"Yes, but, it's not like she'd need much time," Namine argued. "All she'd need to do is convince Riku that she was me just long enough for her to get him alone for five minutes. Not even. Riku wouldn't know that she was trying to- y'know, so he wouldn't—"

"Do we have to discuss this?" Riku interrupted. This wasn't entirely something he wanted to be thinking about. In fact, he was surprised _Namine_ was perfectly fine with discussing such things.

"She wouldn't have any way to kill him, though," Amaryllis said, ignoring Riku.

"Don't be stupid, they wouldn't forget to give her a weapon," Alpha said. "They aren't idiots."

"All she'd need is a knife," Namine said.

Vexen glanced up from taking notes—when had he started…? Nevermind. "Why a knife? Of all weapons…"

Namine shrugged. "Well, it's small and easy to conceal. Though… actually…" She glanced down at herself. "I'm not quite sure _where_ she'd conceal it. It's not like this dress is entirely… well…" She shrugged again.

"Do you want a new one?" Riku said.

"What?"

"A- a new dress." Riku swallowed, his cheeks suddenly very hot. He hadn't exactly meant to say that out loud… To say any of this out loud. At least not now. In this company.

"This is… random," Namine said, slowly. He couldn't quite read the look she was giving him.

"Not exactly." He shifted slightly. "I've been, well, I've been wanting to get some new clothes for myself. Eventually. Haven't gotten around to it yet. But, you know, when I do we could always get you a new dress. Or just. Clothes. You don't have to get a dress. You can get whatever you want."

Namine stared at him. He flushed. Aha, yes, he was certainly making a fool of himself. He didn't take his eyes off of Namine. He _really_ didn't want to know how Alpha and Amaryllis and Vexen were reacting to this. (Though he wouldn't be surprised if Vexen was taking notes. Actually. Vexen _was_ taking notes. He could hear the pencil scratching against the paper as Vexen wrote.)

"Since when have you wanted a change of clothes?" Namine asked, finally.

"Since, a) this shirt's getting worn." He tugged on it and grimaced slightly. "And, b) I think I'd like something that isn't so… Real Thing. Something that's more… _me._"

Namine nodded, understanding. She smiled, then tugged at her own dress. "Maybe I wouldn't mind a change of clothes," she said. "At least, for practicality's sake. This thing doesn't even have pockets!"

Riku laughed slightly.

"They could just give her a weapon she could summon," Alpha said.

"I still think a knife fits Namine, though," Amaryllis said.

Apparently they'd been discussing this while Riku and Namine were… talking. Yes, that was talking. At least, Riku wasn't sure if he could describe it as anything other than talking even though he for some reason wanted to.

But that was beside the point.

"Why are we still discussing this!?"

Alpha raised his eyebrows. "What do you want us to do? We're basically stuck here doing nothing until they're done rebuilding Roxas, considering absolutely _anything_ we might do will likely result in his death if we don't wait until 26 is finished with him." He turned to the computer. "And, based on where 26 is right now… oh, it'll be another hour or so until Roxas is finished. If not longer."

"So we're going to sit here and discuss what a Namine who they're _not going to build_ would do to kill me?" Riku asked.

Alpha just smiled. "It makes _great_ hypothetical discussion."

"I could ask a few more questions about what's going on, if that'd make you feel better," Namine said.

"Please do," Riku muttered.

"Okay." Namine rubbed her hands together. "How'd Xemnas get in here, anyway? I thought we had tighter security than that. And I thought they couldn't do anything without the external…"

"Axel betrayed us," Amaryllis explained.

"He wouldn't have gotten the external if _someone_ had put it somewhere safer," Vexen said, throwing a pointed look in Alpha's direction.

"Would you let that drop?"

"You know…" Namine laughed slightly. "This actually doesn't surprise me. Axel betraying us and all."

"It doesn't?" Alpha asked. He seemed a bit surprised.

"See?" Vexen said, smirking. "Even she knows Axel's bound to be a filthy double-crosser!"

"Actually, I'm pretty sure I mentioned it to her," Riku said.

Namine shook her head and laughed some more. "Neither of those reasons, honestly. It doesn't surprise me that he'd do this to bring Roxas back." She smiled, as if she had some secret that only she knew about. "They are best friends, after all."

Riku frowned. "How do you know that?"

She shrugged. "I just… do."

Vexen started scribbling away in his notebook again. Apparently something that Namine had said had intrigued him.

Riku shook his head, deciding not to worry about it.

"Any other questions?"

"No, because-" Namine turned to Alpha. "You know what they would do? They'd give her a blade, kind of like Riku's. The other Namine. Because it's… _poetic,_ I think is the word I'm going for. It would be poetic."

"That, or they'd put her in a position where she could just steal Riku's blade," Amaryllis said.

"Mm, yes," Alpha said, nodding in agreement. "Maybe they'd send Xigbar over here, and he could disarm Riku, and while he's distracted, Namine'd grab his blade and stab him with it."

"It wouldn't quite be fool proof system, though," Vexen said.

Namine shuddered slightly. "Doesn't mean it won't haunt my nightmares. Thanks…"

Riku's eyes narrowed.

"Do you want us to stop?" Amaryllis asked. He sounded genuinely concerned.

"So you offer to stop discussing it for _her_!?" Riku demanded, rounding on Amaryllis.

"No need giving her nightmares."

"But what about me!?"

"We could always discuss the fact that they're, actually, more likely to send Roxas to try and kill you, now," Alpha suggested. "If that would make you feel any better."

"We're still discussing my death…"

"What makes you think they'll send Roxas after him?" Namine asked.

"Well, why wouldn't they?" Alpha replied. "It's more efficient than trying to kidnap you, Namine. They already _have_ Roxas; all they have to do is make sure he's stronger than Riku is."

"Do we honestly have to discuss possible ways that the Organization might be plotting to kill me?" Riku clenched his fists, exasperated.

Namine elbowed him, grinning. "You can't tell me that it bothers you _that_ much, Riku."

He turned to her, glowering faintly. "Weren't you working on something?"

She stared at him a second, slowly raised her eyebrows, and said: "You know, I don't _have_ to give it to you. Well-" She paused, made a face. She considered it a moment. "No, I don't have to give it to you."

"So it is a surprise for me!" Riku exclaimed, his half-glower transforming into a grin.

"No duh."

Namine sighed.

Riku just grinned wider.

"So… back to that discussion?" Alpha said.

Namine shook her head. "I'll have to pass. As much as I don't want to give Riku the satisfaction, I _should_, actually, probably get back to what I was doing… I left Joseph alone with it. I need to go make sure he didn't accidently ruin it or anything." She hugged Riku again, and then headed off.


	46. Heckuvalong Raid DIch151 from other POVs

Yay! Writing things from other people's POVs. yeaaahhh. It's exciting. I guess.

Anyway, this is the scene at the end of ch151, where Riku and Namine are being telepathic, and, well, this is the scene from everyone else's POV.

* * *

><p><strong>Riku's POV<strong>

"What!?"

Riku's eyes went about as wide as Namine's, shocked. How- why was she saying that? Why did she looked so shocked? Why was- what was going on?

"I, uh-"

She stepped closer to him, and then took his face in her hands, touching their foreheads together. He froze, going rigid, not sure what to do. Being this close was—he wasn't sure. He just—

_"What did you just think?"_

Namine's… voice?

He pulled away from her, taking a step or two back, completely shocked. What was- that- what? _What_!?

"What was that?" he asked.

_It was almost like… almost like she-_

_But-_

"Did you just-"

Namine nodded, stopping him there. She took his face in her hands again, touching their foreheads together a second time.

_"Please, Riku, just let me-"_

"This feels weird," he said, but he didn't pull away.

"I know it does," Namine replied. "But-"

_"I need to talk to you, and this seems like just as good a way as any other. Besides, now they can't hear us."_

She was talking to him. In his head. Telepathically. It—

"No, this is too weird." He gently pulled away from her. "I- I don't think I can-"

_It's too weird. I don't… I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with her being in my head like that, honestly, but I don't want to tell her that. I just…_

Namine lowered her hands, and then stared at him for a long while, almost as if she was studying him. He tried to put on his best brave face—it was funny that one didn't want to come—to show her that he was just fine and she didn't need to worry about him. She didn't buy it.

"Riku, please, just let me try," she said.

He swallowed.

_I don't want her to know that I'm not okay, above anything else. If I let her in my head like this… I just… Then she'll know. I don't want her to know._

_But…_

_The way she's looking at me…_

_Oh it's always been hard to say no to that face._

He closed his eyes, and nodded. He'd let her do it. Just this once. Just because he couldn't say no, really. She took his face in her hands again, and he tried not to shudder at the touch. She was so warm and… honestly, he could get used to her holding him like this.

"_Alright… so…_"

There was her voice, again. Not that it was really her voice. But… he wasn't sure what else to call it.

_What is this, huh?_ he asked her, silently. _We're telepathic now, are we?_

_"Seems like it…" _she replied, slowly.

_It's weird._

He wasn't going to deny that.

Namine only shrugged.

"_What's on your mind?_"

_I just-_

He didn't know what to tell her. What to think. To put his feelings into words? His fears, his insecurities? All the ways that the simple act of being thrown across a room made him doubt himself?

_"It's not true. You're _not_ weak."_

He wanted to believe her.

_But-_

_"Don't argue with me! Everyone has some bad luck every now and then, and it doesn't mean anything. Stop being so hard on yourself."_

"No, Namine, I can't."

He pulled away from her again, not wanting her to hear anymore.

_I can't stop being hard on myself. You don't understand. My strength is everything. Being weak means I'm worth nothing. Being weak means I can't protect you. And that's not okay._

_Not being able to protect you is not okay._

_I have to protect you._

_I have to be strong._

xXx

**Vexen's POV**

"What!?"

Vexen glanced up from his notes. Namine sounded very… shocked and worried and all those sorts of emotions all at once. Her eyes were firmly fixed on Riku, and he looked just about as shocked as her. He glanced between the two of them, trying to decide what was going on. He didn't remember hearing Riku saying anything after he had reluctantly agreed with Namine about not sending her to Hollow Bastion. And, that was no reason for Namine to be so shocked now. And if that _was_ what she was shocked about—he highly doubted this was true—then that had been a very delayed reaction.

Namine slowly stepped closer to Riku. Vexen watched, curious.

_What is she doing?_

He kept watching, his hand moving across his paper as he continued taking notes, regardless of how bad his handwriting was going to be with him not looking at the page and all. But he didn't want to miss anything. Namine had taken Riku's face in her hands, and was pulling him closer, touching their foreheads together.

_Very… intimately, _Vexen couldn't help but note.

There was a moment of silence between Namine and Riku, and then Riku backed away, looking more shocked than he had before.

"What was that?" he asked.

Vexen had a feeling that he wasn't asking about Namine pulling him so close—to be honest, he really couldn't picture Riku complaining about that. There was something he was missing, here…

"Did you just-" Riku began.

Namine nodded, before he could finish.

Vexen grimaced. He wasn't going to figure out what was going on, was he?

_No, they just aren't going to tell you,_ he thought, firmly.

_You can still figure it out._

_ Just keep observing, make conclusions. They might not be right, but you should be able to get an _idea_ of what _might_ be going on, at the least!_

Namine had pulled Riku closer again, touching their foreheads together a second time.

"This feels weird," Riku said, quietly.

"I know it does," Namine replied. "But-"

She stopped there. Vexen could only fathom how that sentence had finished. What were they even talking about? What did Riku think felt weird? Was he worried about how close in proximity they were? Vexen doubted it… but…

What was it that he was missing?

He had to have been missing something.

Unless…

"No, this is too weird," Riku said, pulling away from Namine again. "I- I don't think I can-"

_What is he so worried about?_

_ He can't… really be so freaked out because of how close he and Namine were. Again, that doesn't seem like something he'd be worried about._

_ Then again…_

_ This would be one of those things, wouldn't it? Being close to her is weird for him, because—has it ever been trouble for him to keep the two Namines straight in his head?_

_ If I can mix up Joseph and Ienzo on occasion, I'm sure it's possible that Riku does the same. And it'd be easier for him, considering they're both Namine._

_ So…_

Vexen let out a short and frustrated breath.

He had no clue.

"Please, Riku," Namine said. "Just let me try."

Riku was silent for a long time, but eventually he agreed, and let Namine take his face in her hands yet again.

_What was Namine trying to do, anyway? Pulling him close like that. What is it about what _she's_ doing that's making him uncomfortable?_

Vexen chuckled slightly, an absolutely ridiculous thought crossing his mind.

_No, don't be silly, Vexen,_ he told himself. _I highly doubt she's trying to kiss him, of all things. Even with how close they are, something tells me that's not what's going on._

_ For starters, I don't see why either of them would make such a big fuss about such a thing. Once Riku had denied her the first time, Namine would've given up. _

It was really hard to keep the slight smile off his face.

_As persistent as the girl is, I don't see her pressing _that_ sort of thing._

He shook his head.

_No, that's certainly not what's going on here._

_ But…_

_ What is?_

Riku'd pulled away again, firmly insisting that he couldn't do… whatever it was.

Vexen sighed. This was going to bug him for a long time.

xXx

**Alpha's POV**

"What!?" Namine said, very suddenly.

Alpha glanced over at her and Riku. He'd directed his attention away from them the moment they'd started getting… well, sweet with each other. But what was Namine so surprised about? He… wasn't sure. What Riku had said previously didn't quite seem to warrant this reaction, that he was aware of.

"I- uh-" Riku stuttered, sounding a bit flabbergasted.

Apparently he didn't quite understand what was going through Namine's head, either.

And, all assumptions concerning what _might_ be going through Namine's head—for Alpha and for Riku, too—were out the window when she took Riku's face in her hands and pulled him closer.

Alpha averted his gaze again.

_Alright then… this isn't random…_

_ What are they even—_

He threw a glance back over at them.

_Okay. Not kissing. I didn't think so. But it was hard to tell with how she threw herself at him like that…_

_ I'm just…_

_ Not going to pay attention._

It was easier said than done.

Riku pulled away from Namine, very quickly, and backed up a few paces, almost backing into the computer desk (which was honestly the only reason Alpha noticed). "What- what was that?" Riku asked, frantically. He stared at Namine, eyes wide. "Did you just-"

She nodded in response, and then was pulling him closer again. Alpha turned away again.

_Do they have to do this _now?he wondered, grimacing.

He focused his attention—as best as he could, anyway—to the computer screen. 26 was still working on Roxas; it looked like it could be another few hours before he was done. Xemnas was doing nothing, still. Wait. Was he talking to 26? Alpha couldn't tell, and the audio still wasn't working, despite what Alpha did to it. (And he took the time to go through every single possible way to fix the audio, too, trying to keep himself from paying attention to Riku and Namine.)

He swapped the camera feed, checking on Axel. Axel looked bored, but he hadn't moved. Much. He might've moved from leaning on one side of the doorframe to leaning against the other side.

**~and then I stopped there in favor of actually, y'know, writing something else. (Especially since I had no ideas left for Alpha's POV)**

xXx

**Amaryllis's POV**

"What?" Namine demanded.

Amaryllis raised his eyebrows, confused. What were Riku and Namine going on about? To be honest, he did his best to _not_ pay much attention to the two of them when they got like this-

Oh, no, he wasn't going to pay attention.

He directed his gaze elsewhere, after Namine had pulled Riku all close like that. He didn't know what was going on. He didn't want to know.

_We have… better things to be doing right now,_ he thought, a bit annoyed.

_Not that I don't like Namine or anything, and I certainly don't wish ill of her, but we were in the middle of something, and of course we all dropped it when she showed up._

_ Granted, it'll be a while before Roxas is finished, won't it?_

_ Alpha said it would take at least a few hours._

_ And I think we'd know if they were done… or almost done…_

"What was that?" Riku asked. "Did you just-" There was a moment of silence. "This feels weird."

Amaryllis made a face. Were they—

No. He didn't want to know. He wasn't even going to look.

**~and idk where to go from there because he totally assumes they're kissing omg I can't keep this going with the rest of the dialogue between Riku and Namine**


	47. Heckuvalong Raid: DIch154 from 26

ch154 (Thirteen of the Heckuvalong raid sequence) from 26's POV. Yay. (also written from Roxas's and Vexen's and I'll post those later)

*casually procrastinates on writing*

* * *

><p>"Alright, Roxas," he said, calmly, bending slightly so he was at eye-level with the boy. Roxas didn't quite focus on him, but he'd just awoken. You couldn't expect much from a newly awakened Replica. "We're going to leave here, and we're going to need you to fight."<p>

_Hopefully no one from the Rebellion will attack him. I don't see why they would. Well, maybe Riku would. He's Riku, after all. _

_Roxas, you better have a decent grasp of the concept of fighting._

"Summon your Keyblade for me, will you?" 26 asked.

Roxas just blinked for a moment, eyes shifting to 26. He stared, a bit blankly. 26 pursed his lips. Well… this couldn't be good…

He opened his mouth to instruct Roxas farther—he probably just needed more of a boost; everything was still settling in his brain after all—but then Roxas reached out in front of him. In a burst of light, the Keyblade formed in his hand.

Xemnas smiled.

26 swallowed. There was a pit in his stomach all of a sudden. He tried to ignore it. "You know how to fight, right Roxas?"

Roxas nodded, a bit blankly.

"Alright then. Here we go." He led Roxas to the door and pushed it open.

Roxas stepped into the room, and 26 followed not long after. He set his mind away from Xemnas. He needed to focus on Roxas. Make sure everything was in order. He couldn't be preoccupied about Xemnas and what could possibly be going through his head right now. He couldn't afford it.

Axel turned and smiled at Roxas. Grinned, really. Roxas hesitantly looked at him. He seemed a bit confused, still, but he smiled back. The smile was just as hesitant.

_He's just awakened. It's alright. Without much of his memories, anyway—I only did get a few in there—he probably doesn't quite understand who Axel is._

_And… it's fine. Axel bought it. I think._

It didn't matter, though. Snapdragon attacked Axel, then, which 26 was silently grateful for. He didn't need Axel ragging on him about Roxas's not-quite-complete state. Of course, he'd be able to explain it to Axel—wanting to finish at the Castle and not in CO, along with being pressed for time, were perfect reasons for not returning all of Roxas's memories right away.

He just wasn't sure how Axel would react to the fact they'd eradicated Xion from Roxas's mind and memory.

He wasn't too keen to find out, either.

26 directed his attention back to Roxas. He hadn't moved. He seemed a bit—oh goodness, he wasn't _scared_ was he? Roxas was just looking around, gripping his Keyblade as if it were a lifeline.

_He's just awakened, _26 reminded himself. _Of course he's a bit slow. He probably doesn't even entirely understand what's going on right now, really._

"It's alright," he told Roxas, reassuringly, pushing him forward.

Roxas nodded and took a few steps forward.

26 watched him, intently. He paused after a few steps, scanning the room, probably sizing the Rebellion up. Which was fine. He was newly created, he could take his time fretting about who he thought it best to attack. 26 summoned his shield to him. None of the Rebellion had moved yet—besides Snapdragon, that is.

_I wonder why… they must all be stunned about Roxas._

_ Or not sure about what they were doing._

_ Either one seems possible._

He smirked.

"Hey, Hotshot!" someone—_Xigbar_—called. The call was followed by a round of bullets, which were fired in Riku's direction.

26 frowned up at Xigbar; because, of course, Xigbar was hanging upside down in midair, like he enjoyed doing.

_When did he get here? And where did he come from?!_

_ But more importantly—_

26 turned his attention to Roxas, wondering how Roxas was handling the new information; because Xigbar coming out of nowhere was new—and abrupt—information. Roxas seemed to be glancing a bit skeptically at Xigbar, but he must've figured that Xigbar was on their side, because he turned his attention back to the Rebellion.

26 slowly turned their direction, too. Alpha and Amaryllis were conversing. 7 was currently dealing with Xigbar's bullets. The Lexaeus Replica—wait a minute. Weren't all the Lexaeus Replicas with the Organization? Though… there was that one had gone rogue. Or, apparently, he'd sided with the Rebellion. Anyway, he watched Axel and Snapdragon fight as if he planned on joining. Then there was another Marluxia Replica; Thistle, if 26 remembered correctly. He was looking over at Alpha, probably waiting for orders. Then there was Riku, who was staring straight ahead—26 checked—at nothing at all. He appeared to be… muttering to himself.

And then… there was one more.

A… Vexen Replica.

At least, so 26 thought. Of course it was hard to keep track of all 44 Vexen Replicas, but 26 was fairly good at it. (The only person who was better was 2, who couldn't forget a face.) It was hard not to be, when you were up to your arms in the Program every day. Or, when you used to—anyway.

This did not look like a Vexen Replica that 26 remembered. Of course, he'd never spent much time around 42. Maybe this was 42? He held himself differently, though. Most Vexen Replicas had at least a few minor mannerisms that were all exactly the same, but this… Vexen had none of them.

_What is going on here?_

He and the Vexen made eye contact. The Vexen's eyes slowly went wide, and he turned to 7 and asked him something. 26 couldn't hear what from this far away, but the Vexen seemed a bit panicked.

_About what, I wonder?_ 26 thought, a bit suspicious.

_It's almost as if he's—_

The Lexaeus Replica took a step forward, hefting his axe sword, and then charged straight at 26. 26 quickly brought up his shield to block the attack. Of course, being a Lexaeus Replica, the Lexaeus Replica hit him with so much force that 26 staggered back a few paces.

He staggered right into Alpha.

26 quickly turned around, looking between the two of them. The Lexaeus looked prepared to attack again. Alpha looked a bit smug. 26 glanced over at where Alpha had previously been standing, then looked back to where Alpha was standing now.

"How did-"

"It's called: 'form an illusion of myself and have it distract you while I sneak across the room.'" Alpha smirked, and then his face got serious. "Now; where is the external?"

26 brushed himself off. "I don't have it," he said, holding himself high.

Alpha glared. Before he could say anything more, three bullets came in his direction. Alpha quickly raised his hand, and in the air in front of it suddenly appeared an exact copy of 26's shield. It took the bullets.

"Since when did I give you permission to copy my shield?" 26 quipped.

"Who said it was yours?" Alpha replied. The shield morphed and twisted itself until it became something similar to the Lexaeus's axe sword. "Now-"

Three more bullets came in Alpha's direction. He blocked them with the axe sword, with a bit of difficulty. He glared over at Xigbar. The Lexaeus Replica, apparently taking that as a hint, charged at Xigbar, forcing him to warp to the other side of the room.

26 laughed. "Now don't try and be threatening," he told Alpha. "You can't even lift that thing!"

Alpha raised his eyebrows, and then the axe sword thinned and condensed. 26's eyes widened slightly. Alpha's hand closed around a blade that appeared very similar to Riku's.

"Can I be threatening with this?" he asked.

"I don't have the external," 26 repeated.

Three more bullets were shot at Alpha, and these three hit the ground just in front of his feet, causing him to take a few steps back. "Then why is Xigbar spending so much effort on distracting me?" Alpha spat.

"Because we're the only interesting thing going on right now," 26 said, gesturing to the rest of the room. Axel had just managed to push Snapdragon off—possibly with the help of a bullet from Xigbar, but 26 couldn't tell. The Lexaeus Replica was making his way across the room to Xigbar. 7 and the Vexen Replica that 26 couldn't recognize were trying to block most of Xigbar's bullets, and only having a varying amount of success. (To be fair; Xigbar wasn't shooting consistently in the slightest.) Riku and Roxas were fighting. Thistle was—

Wait a minute.

Riku and Roxas were fighting.

"Roxas!" 26 called, turning and preparing to run to him. Amaryllis got in the way.

26 glared, preparing an icicle to throw at Amaryllis. He stopped, though, when he felt a blade—Riku's blade, specifically, though Alpha was wielding it—pressed into his back. He slowly banished the ice.

"The external," Alpha said, sternly.

"I don't have it," 26 repeated, yet again. He looked over his shoulder at Alpha, then turned back to Amaryllis. "Now let me past; you don't want Roxas getting killed, do you?"

"Riku won't kill him," Amaryllis said. "Trust me."

"How do you know?" 26 demanded.

"Because Riku's just as concerned about Roxas's life as the rest of us are." Amaryllis shifted his grip on his scythe, almost impatiently. "I believe Alpha asked you a question."

"And I gave him an answer," 26 replied. "What more do you want from me?"

"Nothing," Alpha said. "I already have the external."

26 rounded on him, shocked. That was impossible! Xigbar had it!

"How did you get that!?" 26 demanded. "It was-" He paused, then, closing his mouth firmly. Alpha was no longer holding his copy of Riku's blade; which—along with the sheer impossibility of him having the external in the first place—meant that what he was holding was merely an illusion. "Very funny, Alpha," he said. "You're not going to trick me into telling you where it is, though."

"Fine." Alpha let go of his illusion external, which disappeared the moment it left his hand. "Hold him."

Amaryllis grabbed 26's arms, pulling them behind his back. When 26 struggled, another pair of hands—Thistle—grabbed him. Together they were able to restrain him. 26 pursed his lips together and narrowed his eyes.

"Now what, Alpha?"

"Simple." Alpha took a step forward and slid his hand into 26's pocket. 26 did his best not to squirm; as having someone else digging through your pockets was never a pleasant experience. Watching Alpha's face go from determined to shocked to horrified, however, was quite enjoyable.

"I told you I didn't have it," 26 said.

"Then who does!?"

26 kept his mouth shut.

"Alpha?" Amaryllis asked.

Alpha pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't understand. All signs pointed to you having it! It'd be most logical for you to have it, in the first place. Axel _can't_ have it. He was out of the computer room before you were finished with Roxas, and the external had to have been plugged into the computer while Roxas was processing."

_Well, you are right about that, Alpha, _26 thought, smiling smugly. They'd won. And Alpha was fun to watch in defeat.

"He did go in and then come back out," Thistle said.

"But there was a good three minute delay before Roxas came out. There was no way they would've stalled for that long. It makes no sense."

"Unless they were trying to throw us off his trail," Amaryllis suggested.

_Valid point. I congratulate you, Amaryllis. You're smart._

_ However._

"I'll go ahead and tell you; Axel didn't have the external," 26 said.

_It's not like it matters if I tell them that, after all._

"Roxas could've had it," Thistle suggested.

"Well it's too late now; he's gone!" Alpha snapped.

26 turned to look at Roxas—which was hard to do while still restrained. Of course, Roxas was gone. As was Axel. They must've left already. Which was fine.

"Even if Roxas didn't have it-" Amaryllis began.

"It doesn't matter," Alpha interrupted. "The only two people left who might have it are Xemnas and Xigbar. Neither of whom we'll be able to get it from."

"This failed…" Thistle muttered.

_Hmph. Indeed it did._

"Now, since we're done here-" 26 pulled himself away from Amaryllis and Thistle. It wasn't that hard; they let him go. He dusted himself off. "I think I'll be going." And he headed for the doors.

No one stopped him.


	48. Heckuvalong Raid: DIch154 - Roxas's POV

Chapter 154 (Chapter Thirteen of the Heckuvalong Raid sequence) from Roxas's POV! Whoo!

* * *

><p>Roxas slowly stepped out of the room. He wasn't sure if he liked what greeted him. There were a lot of people in this room. All of them had weapons out. He had his own Keyblade, but, really, he wasn't very confident in himself right now, and didn't think he'd last long against any of these people.<p>

_I don't understand what's going on._

_ They want me to… fight?_

The man closest to him turned and grinned at him. The man had flaming red hair and looked familiar… Roxas couldn't be certain though. Everything was a bit fuzzy. 26 said it would clear up later.

Roxas smiled back at the man, as best as he could; feeling he should. He jumped though when someone else rushed over and attacked the man with a large scythe.

_Axel!_

He felt terrified.

But… no. It was alright. The man—Axel—had it handled. Roxas gripped his Keyblade uncertainly, looking at everyone else in the room, then back at Axel.

_What am I supposed to do?_

"It's alright," a voice said from behind him, gently, reassuringly. That would be 26. Roxas nodded and set his jaw. He could do this.

He started forward, blade bared, but no one moved to attack him. No one had moved at all, really, except that one who'd attacked Axel. Roxas frowned slightly, pausing. He studied the people again. Two of them had pink hair and large scythes, just like the man who attacked Axel. There were two more who looked a lot like 26.

_Replicas… _something inside of him whispered.

They were all Replicas.

_Am I supposed to attack them?_

_ I really don't understand what's going on here._

He looked at each of them, again, sizing them up. They all looked determined. They all looked like they could knock him down without much of a second thought. Except… the one at the end. The boy—well, he was about the same age as Roxas. Silver hair. Funny looking blade; all dark and crooked.

He looked different. He looked…

_About as scared as I feel right now, _Roxas couldn't help but think.

_If he's scared—_

"Hey, hotshot!" someone called, very loudly. Roxas turned to see who it was. It was…

_Xigbar._

The name matched the face, alright, though Roxas couldn't recall every meeting this man before. Oh well. His memories and everything were a bit off right now. It was fine. 26 said it was fine.

Roxas turned his attention back to the boy with silver hair, knowing that Xigbar wasn't a threat.

_He looks scared._

_ A bit… uncertain._

_ Maybe I should attack him. If he's scared, then he'll have trouble attacking me. It makes him, at the moment, weaker._

Roxas thought this was a good idea.

He readied his Keyblade, rushed forward, a cry escaping his lips as he leapt into the air and brought his blade down on the silver-haired boy. The boy turned, raising his blade to block, but Roxas could feel him stagger slightly from the force of the blow.

They met eyes for a second. The silver-haired boy looked shocked, but the traces of fear were gone. Roxas pushed his weight into the attack, hoping to break the boy's defenses before he could counter-attack or regain his balance. Now that he was so close to the boy, the feeling that he was familiar was creeping up on him. Silver hair. Bright blue eyes. A name was bursting within him, but it just couldn't quite come out.

Roxas backed off. He suddenly didn't feel like he wanted to be fighting this boy. There were faint traces of a smirk on the boy's mouth, despite the shock clearly etched on the rest of his face. That smirk said that battle was where this boy thrived, and that if you engaged him, you were in for it.

_But the fear in his eyes—_

_ The way he's holding himself—_

He was _scared._ Roxas wasn't sure why or what of, but there was no denying the fact that this boy was scared of _something_. Roxas readied his blade, lunged again—

Axel caught him by the shoulder, holding him back.

"Careful there!" Axel said. "Maybe not the best idea to be attacking Riku. Don't want to get yourself killed, do you? C'mon."

Roxas just nodded, letting Axel lead him off. His thoughts were spinning.

_Riku._

Why did that name sound so familiar?

Why did that name make him want to get as far away as possible and attack like there was nothing else in the world at the same time? It was like he was scared. He was angry. He was desperate. He was furious. He wanted to—

Roxas closed his eyes for a second, trusting himself to take a few blind steps with Axel guiding him by the shoulder. His brain was beginning to hurt.

He hoped this got better, too, like everything else was supposed to.


	49. Heckuvalong Raid: DIch154 - Vexen's POV

Dead Inside ch154 (Heckuvalong Raid chapter Thirteen) from Vexen's POV now! I just kept forgetting to upload it...

* * *

><p>They were standing outside the computer room, waiting. Axel didn't seem too worried. Vexen found it hard to care too much. He kept glancing over at Riku, trying to place what was going through his mind.<p>

_"Whatever act this is, just stop!"_

_"When have you ever cared about me?"_

The words stung. Vexen tried not to dwell on them, tried to tell himself that Riku didn't really mean it, or that they didn't hurt as much as they did, but that was one of those things that had gotten harder since he'd regained his heart.

Besides, he doubted he'd be able to tell himself that Riku didn't really mean it, anyway. Of course Riku meant it. If Riku hadn't meant it—or meant it quite so seriously, or hadn't meant it to be anything more than stinging words—he wouldn't have run.

Riku only ran when he was upset and couldn't handle whatever it was that he was dealing with it.

_Which likely means he's hurt…_ Vexen thought, with a sigh.

_Which means… I've hurt him._

He didn't like that thought much either.

But he couldn't deny it as much as he couldn't deny the rest of them.

_There wasn't anything in Castle Oblivion back then that didn't hurt Riku. _Vexen tried to comfort himself. It wasn't entirely his fault.

It only made him feel worse.

_Now's not the time to be thinking about it, though._

_ We have a battle at hand._

He cast another glance at Riku. Riku was muttering to himself, slightly, probably trying to comfort himself, too.

_I hope he listened to what I said, at least. About him not being a failure because he couldn't beat Axel and all._

It was a pity that Vexen had no way of knowing.

"What are we supposed to do about Axel?" Snapdragon asked, voice quiet. Vexen's ears perked up. He knew this was the latter half of the conversation he was hearing, and hoped he hadn't missed anything important.

"Keep stalling him," Amaryllis said.

"You know, Axel-" 7 took a step forward, raising his voice slightly. "You disgust me."

Vexen raised his eyebrows. Well then.

_I don't think 7's saying that to just stall…_

"Oh I do, do I?" Axel laughed, clearly not fazed. Typical. Insults rarely meant anything to him.

"Yes," 7 continued, firmly. "You had no right to bring Roxas back."

_Oh?_

Vexen knew that there were some people who believed this—he himself believed it, to an extent—but he hadn't been aware that 7 was one of them. Then again… maybe it wasn't a surprise.

"No one said it couldn't be done," Axel said.

"But just because you _can_ do something doesn't necessarily mean you should," 7 replied. "You _can_ jump off a cliff. Does that mean you should?"

Axel shrugged. "Depends on the circumstances."

_And that doesn't surprise me much either._

"That's not the point, Axel. The point is you can't just go bringing Replicas back from the dead willy-nilly."

"And why can't I?"

"Why would you?" 7's voice was cold. Terribly cold. Vexen was surprised that the air hadn't condensed into ice around him, it was so cold. "Why would you, really? It makes their death meaningless. Yes, you may miss them—of course you miss them, if they were dear to you. You may want to bring them back—who wouldn't? You may want, more than anything, just to hold them in your arms again. But that doesn't give you the right to bring them back from the dead."

And then Vexen understood.

7 wasn't talking about Roxas.

He wasn't even talking about Axel.

He was talking about R.

Vexen didn't know R. He hardly knew 7's relationship to her, to be honest. But he knew that R had meant a lot to 7. And he knew that R was now dead.

_And maybe he's more hurt than disgusted, _Vexen thought. _He's hurt, because why is it fair that Axel gets someone he cared about back, when 7 gets nothing?_

_ Hurt is a terrible thing._

Vexen's eyes flickered over to Riku. Everything made a lot of sense.

The doors opened behind Axel, and the first person to step out was…

"Roxas," Vexen breathed.

_So they actually did it. Actually rebuilt him. I can't tell if I should be surprised or awed—what can't their Program do!?—or… worried. Disgusted, like 7, maybe? I'm not sure._

Axel turned and grinned at Roxas—another unsurprising thing—_and another example of what hurt can do to you, _Vexen thought. _Axel was hurt about losing Roxas. So he went this far to bring him back._

Snapdragon leapt forward, launching himself at Axel. He seemed awfully eager to fight. Vexen flinched away from him, a bit surprised.

His eyes returned to Roxas. Roxas was inching forward, not looking certain of what he was supposed to do. Vexen had a million speculations as to why, but he ignored them and cast another glance at Riku, wondering how he was reacting to all this.

Riku looked about ready to attack Roxas, to be honest. Vexen wasn't surprised—yet again. Roxas was the easiest target in the room. Of course Riku would go after him, if he was still having confidence issues.

"Hey, hotshot!"

Xigbar.

Where did he come from?

Six bullets—a full clip—were sent at Riku, and he blocked them. Vexen suppressed the urge to rush forward and block the next bullets that came Riku's way. It was unnecessary, anyway. The next clip of bullets was directed at 7.

Vexen turned his attention back to Riku. He grimaced.

_Oh, Riku, please don't panic._

_ Xigbar isn't too much of a threat. He's a distraction more than anything. At least, he will be, right now, as they try and get Roxas away._

Vexen shook his head.

_You need to stop worrying so much about Riku. It's not like he's going to get himself killed—not without you noticing, anyway—and there are other reasons why you're here._

He started to turn his attention over to Alpha, to see what they were doing, but something stopped him. 26 was staring at him. He looked… skeptical. Vexen's eyes first narrowed, wondering what this was about, but then his eyes widened, as he realized just _where_ he was and _who_ was looking at him and _who else_ was in this room.

_Oh no._

_ Here I was, saying that I didn't want the Organization finding out who I am._

_ And I willingly put myself in the same room as Xemnas._

Vexen quickly turned to 7. "How well can 26 tell Vexen Replicas apart?" he asked.

7 frowned slightly. "Fairly well, I suppose. Why?"

Vexen swallowed. "Well, what do you think the chances are of him realizing I'm none of your Vexen Replicas?"

7's eyes widened, catching on. "Amaryllis—" he began.

He didn't need to.

The Lexaeus Replica that was with them rushed forward and attacked 26, effectively distracting him from Vexen. Vexen wondered if he'd done so just to distract 26, but then saw Alpha over by 26. It'd most likely been part of Alpha's plan.

_It was good timing, though._

Vexen let out a sigh of relief.

_Though, how did Alpha get there so fast? Wasn't he just—_

Vexen turned to where Alpha had just been, and watched as the Alpha who was standing there disappeared. He chuckled slightly. Alpha'd set up an illusion of himself so that no one would notice him sneaking across the room.

"Vexen," 7 said. "Do you think you could try and help me deflect Xigbar's bullets? It's not like we're doing anything else, and it would help everyone else if his bullets weren't hitting them."

Vexen nodded, readying his shield. "Sure thing."

Of course, it wasn't like blocking Xigbar's bullets was easy. Xigbar never seemed to stay focused on a single target and constantly warped about the room, also making it hard to figure out where the bullets were coming from in the first place.

He only managed to block ten or so rounds (a few of which he was certain were meant for him to begin with). He kept Alpha from being shot once, Riku from being shot three times, and managed to block a few bullets that were heading in 7's direction. 7 had been blocking bullets intended for Snapdragon at the time, so he wasn't quite prepared to block bullets that were coming at him from a completely different direction, as Xigbar had warped in between the two sets of bullets.

To Vexen's dismay, he ended up missing the brief fight Roxas and Riku had. By the time 7 notified him of it, Axel was already leading Roxas off. Vexen was focusing on what was happening between Alpha and 26, which was why he missed it.

Alpha had finally resorted to restraining 26 and digging through his pockets, and Vexen watched with mild interest. Of course, digging through someone else's pockets wasn't entirely dignified—and he could only imagine now 26 felt—but it was a necessary measure, was it not?

Except…

"Then who does!?"

26 didn't have the external.

Vexen let out a long breath. Alpha was very unhappy. He was ranting about how he couldn't understand how this had happened, snapping at every suggestion that Amaryllis or Thistle gave, fuming with every comment 26 made.

Hearing footsteps, Vexen turned to see Riku heading this direction, looking confused and curious.

"26 didn't have the external," Vexen explained for him.

"Then who does?" Riku asked.

"I'm not sure," Vexen said.

_Of course, I have a few guesses as to _might_ have it._ _Axel doesn't have it, as Alpha said. Axel _can't_ have it. But there are still three other people. I doubt they would've trusted Roxas with it, and I don't see Xemnas doing any of the work, which leaves…_

"Looking for this?"

_Xigbar._

Vexen located Xigbar, and saw that he was holding the external, grinning widely. It was just a game to him. It was always a game to him.

Which was why he warped out of the way constantly, avoiding Amaryllis and Thistle, the Lexaeus Replica, and Riku, all before they could attack him or even get their hands close to the external. Which was why he was now hanging over Alpha's head, dangling the external in front of his face and daring Alpha to try and grab it.

Alpha didn't take the bait, though.

It was another thing that didn't surprise Vexen.

_Braig used to pull these stunts all the time, back before we were the Organization, and I wouldn't be surprised if he did so here. Yes, Alpha is just a Replica of Zexion, but I'm sure there are traces of memories inside of him._

_ He would know as well as Zexion that it's pointless to give into Braig's teasing._

"I could do this all day," Xigbar called, now on the other side of the room, external safe in his hand.

"Xigbar," Xemnas said, sternly.

_Oh dear…_ Vexen thought, but a smile played on his lips.

"Or we could leave now," Xigbar sighed, dramatically rolling his eyes. "Doesn't matter to me." He warped away, done with his games, now that Xemnas had called him out.

Speaking of…

Vexen turned to Xemnas (as he was sure everyone else did) to see what he would do.

Xemnas merely looked around the room once, eyes last settling on Riku.

"Pitiful," he said, before vanishing.

**~then I had a bit here at the end but I decided I didn't want to post it. So... I'm not posting it!**


	50. (NF) Keep smiling, yeah?

Kay, so, this was written in a semi-omniscient POV. I had both of their thoughts down and figured that both of their thoughts were kind of important so I just included them both. (And if it's not obvious, this happens sometime during Nothing's Fair.)

also *hands you box of tissues*

* * *

><p>29 cleared his throat, slowly pushing open the door. Joseph didn't hear him. He was too busy with that video game they'd got him just a few weeks ago. 29 studied the screen for a moment, not that he could make any sense of the game. There was a lot of green, though…<p>

Anyway.

"Joseph?" he said, quietly.

Joseph heard him this time, and immediately paused his game so he could turn around.

"Yup?" he asked, grinning slightly.

29 bit his lip. He started to smile and opened his mouth, prepared to blow this all off and just ask Joseph _hey, what game are you playing? What's it about? Are you having fun?_ But he caught himself. He closed his mouth and steeled his nerve. He had to do this.

"Um…" 29 made his way over to Joseph, and then sat down, facing him. "Can you… put the game down, for a second?"

Joseph nodded, and sat the game controller down and out of the way. He looked a bit skeptical, if not worried.

"Joseph, I need to talk to you about something," 29 said.

Joseph's eyes widened. "Oh, no, I'm not in trouble am I?" he asked, groaning. "What'd I do this time? I stayed her just like you said, I promise! Except that one time I went to Twilight Town… and… that other time."

29 chuckled, even though it was a bit hollow.

"But other than Twilight Town I haven't gone anywhere! It's been boring but I promise I've been good—" Joseph paused, noting the look on 29's face. 29 looked… frightened. And that scared Joseph. A lot. He'd never seen 29 look like this before, and suddenly he wasn't sure what to expect 29 to say next.

"I…" 29 swallowed, trying to find the right words. "Do you know what Saix has been up to?" he said, finally. That… seemed like a good place to start.

Joseph nodded. He understood that, at least. "Yeah. Taking over the rest of the Program." He pouted. "And being a jerk about it."

29 nodded. "Do you… know why I've told you to stay in Castle Oblivion?"

Joseph shook his head. "Not… really. I just assumed you wanted to keep me out of trouble while Saix was finishing taking over because things are rough and crazy and you didn't want me… yeah." He nodded, now, satisfied with that explanation. (Thankfully 29 understood what he meant.) "Then… we'd go back?" Joseph asked.

"We aren't going back, Joseph," 29 said, bracing himself for the worst.

Much to his surprise, Joseph lit up upon hearing that.

"So we're part of this Rebellion thing now, huh?" he asked, bouncing up and down slightly with excitement. "That sounds like it might be fun! What about-"

"Joseph," 29 interrupted. He knew what Joseph was going to ask and he couldn't let him. Joseph needed the truth before he could build up any more hope for himself. "Listen, I kept you in Castle Oblivion for a very specific reason."

Joseph sat back down, seeing as he'd been nearly on his feet in his excitement.

"Yeah?"

"It was to keep you safe," 29 said. He closed his eyes for a brief second. Now. He had to tell Joseph _now._

That didn't make it any easier.

"Saix has…" 29 swallowed, steeled his nerve, "…killed all the other Experiments."

The light faded from Joseph's eyes, quickly replaced by horror.

"Wait. What?"

It was like his world had stopped, and suddenly he couldn't feel anything. He didn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. But why would 29 lie about this? 29 wouldn't lie about this. 29 very rarely lied, _ever._

"So, like, Raymond? And Patrick?" Joseph choked. "They're- and all my other friends?" His voice cracked. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. Saying it out loud—admitting it—made it so much more real. "They're… _gone?_"

29 just nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak.

"But why would Saix do that!?" Joseph demanded, shaking his head in disbelief.

"He thinks you're all useless, Joseph," 29 said, quietly. His voice cracked, too. "He's wrong. But—"

"But what about their caretakers? Why didn't they do what you did!?" Joseph's voice trembled, furious tears spilling from his eyes. "_Why didn't they stop him!?_"

"Joseph, some of them _tried. _Some of them fought and were killed and then there was no one in Saix's way to stop him." It hurt to explain. 29 shook his head, sadly. "No one thought to take such drastic measures, as I did, Joseph. They didn't think it necessary."

Joseph stared at him, looking angry, not just upset. "Are you saying some of them just _stood there,_ and _let Saix just- _just-" His voice was breaking, and he tried his hardest to hold back tears, even though it was much too late to stop them. "Who would do that?"

Joseph clutched his head, fingers curling in his hair. He wanted to scream, but all he could do was sob. He didn't understand. How could anyone in these worlds be so terrible? Not just like Saix, who went around killing kids, but others, who just _let him_ kill them and didn't try and _stop_ it.

"Joseph, listen," 29 began. But it wasn't enough. It wouldn't ever be enough. He picked Joseph up, ignoring the minor protests that broke through his sobs, and pulled him into his lap, where he _couldn't_ be hurt.

"It's not fair!" Joseph cried. "It's not fair, it's not fair, _it's not fair!_"

29 held him securely. "I know," he whispered. "I know it's not fair. But there's nothing we can do about it."

"What about you?" Joseph mumbled. "Did you do anything about it?"

29 sighed, and rested his chin on Joseph's head. "I kept you safe. I kept you alive. And, Joseph I wish I could tell you I did more. I wish I could tell you I fought to keep everyone else safe, but I didn't. I did what I could, but I could only do so much. If I had died, there would be no one left to take care of you."

Joseph slowly stilled, his sobs stopping, for the most part. He was silent for a moment.

"I'm glad you're still here…" he whispered.

"I am too."

Joseph laughed, though it was broken. "Glad that you're here, or that I'm here?" he asked.

29 chuckled, figuring it best for Joseph to laugh with him. "Both, I guess," he said. "But I'm especially glad that you're here. And that you're safe."

"Me too." Joseph frowned, then, realizing something. "But am I safe? Doesn't Saix want- want me gone, too? Won't he come after me?"

"Joseph, the likeliness of him actually stepping foot in Castle Oblivion is very slim," 29 assured him, gently. "And if I think that those chances get any higher—that you are in danger—I will move you somewhere else. Somewhere safer."

Joseph nodded. "Okay." His voice was small, like he was frightened.

29 gave him one last squeeze, then eased up on him. He was still holding Joseph, just, not as tightly. "Are you alright?" he asked. "At least, in a relative sense. I know you can't be feeling too well after hearing that."

"I guess," Joseph replied, voice still small. "It's- it's a lot to wrap my mind around. And it… it hurts a bit. Knowing I'll- I'll never see them again."

29 nodded, understanding.

"Would you like some ice cream?" he asked.

"Yes please."

29 smiled.

"Do you want me to go get it and you stay here, or do you want to come with me?"

Joseph looked up at him.

"Is it safe to go with you?"

"Twilight Town should be safe," 29 said. "As long as you're with someone."

"Then I think I'd like to come with you."

_xXx_

"Two ice creams, please," 29 told the storekeeper.

"What flavor?" she asked, smiling politely.

"Sea salt," Joseph said, automatically.

"Sea salt," 29 repeated, just in case.

"One second." The storekeeper turned around and started digging through the freezer. 29 fished into his pocket for his munny.

"Oh, hang on," Joseph said, once he noticed. He reached into his pockets, too. "I think I've got-"

"It's alright," 29 said, pulling out the required munny. "I can pay."

Joseph frowned. "But I've got-"

"Joseph, I'm allowed to spend munny on you if I want to." 29 smiled. "My treat today. Save your WINNER sticks for another time."

Joseph nodded, and then took his ice cream from the storekeeper. 29 handed over the munny, and took his ice cream, too.

"Do you want to go sit somewhere?" he asked, looking down at Joseph.

Joseph shrugged, already taking a bite of his ice cream.

"Alright, well… come on."

They headed out of the ice cream shop, and started walking around Twilight Town.

"Oh, wait!" Joseph grabbed 29's hand and started pulling him along. "I know a spot!"

Within a few minutes, they were seated in a relatively out-of-the way part of Tram Common. Joseph was nearly done with his ice cream, and 29 was… well, about halfway finished. He'd reached that point where it was nearly impossible to get the ice cream off the stick without dropping some.

He carefully took a bite, and managed to _not_ send the rest of the ice cream falling to the ground. However, the ice cream had gotten melty, and a large glop of it fell right into his lap. He sighed. Joseph laughed.

29 shot him a look, and Joseph quieted instantly.

"Sorry," he said. "That was mean."

"No, don't apologize," 29 said, scolding himself internally. "It's alright. It's nice to see you smile."

"Well, sure, but I shouldn't have laughed at you…"

"It'll wash out just fine."

Joseph licked the last of his ice cream off of the stick, checked it—it wasn't a WINNER—then started playing with it idly, while he waited for 29 to finish.

"Joseph," 29 said, after a moment.

"Yeah?" Joseph asked, turning to him.

"Can you promise me something?"

Joseph nodded. "Sure."

"I know you're hurt right now, and scared, but promise me, _promise me,_ that you'll smile," 29 said. The words came out more urgent than he'd intended them to, but… there was no fixing that. "Once a day. Every day. Please, Joseph. I know this is the worst news you could've possibly ever heard, and I know that it's terrible, and that awful things have happened, and it's not easy, but I want you to keep smiling for me."

Joseph broke into a grin. It was a bit uneasy, but that was to be expected after what he'd been through today. "You got it!" he said. "And you gotta smile too, okay?"

29 chuckled. "Of course."


	51. Plotting to Rebuild Roxas (DIch135)

kay this is a little random but I needed to post these eventually

anyway this is Axel asking 26 about Roxas BEFORE rebuilding him-the scene is featured in ch135 but from Demyx's POV. This is from Axel's POV.

Also there's something else at the end~

* * *

><p><strong>~take one!<strong>

Axel grabbed the Vexen Replica by his cloak and slammed him into the wall. He summoned a chakram with his free hand and held it to the Vexen Replica's throat. The Vexen Replica eyed it warily, but did not flinch.

"You aren't telling me something," Axel hissed.

"I've told you that it's impossible," the Vexen Replica replied, the calmness he had only faltering slightly. "I don't see what the point is threatening me over it. The information is absolutely useless to you."

"Then there's no harm telling me," Axel said; it was easy for him to go from threatening and angry to calm and almost laughing, given he was merely pretending to feel these emotions. There were some perks to being a Nobody and lacking a heart.

The Vexen Replica cast another wary glance at the chakram at his throat, and then sighed. "Yes," he said. "If we had access to the Main Computer of Castle Oblivion, we could create a Replica."

Axel's calm quickly became anger again. "That wasn't the question I asked. I _asked_ if it was possible to bring him back."

"Well, if his original file was updated recently… oh," the Vexen Replica paused and put on a mock expression of sadness. "It wouldn't even matter if it was; we don't have access to any of the original files. They were on the database, and the database was _wiped._"

Despite lacking a heart, Axel was suddenly not very fond of this Vexen Replica.

"What if I can get around that problem?" he asked.

The Vexen Replica raised his eyebrows. "I suppose you can get around the lack of access to the Main Computer then, too," he said. His tone clearly said that he didn't believe that one bit, and found the entire idea laughable.

Axel pressed his chakram up against the Vexen Replica's throat, just enough to pierce the skin.

"You won't kill me," the Vexen Replica said, remaining perfectly calm. "If this brilliant plan of yours is going to work, you need someone who knows how to use the Program, and you aren't going to want to hunt another one of us down. If there even _is_ another one of us. Master Vexen didn't just give the knowledge of his Program to any Replica."

Axel didn't move the chakram. "Can we bring him back or not?"

"_If_ you miraculously have access to the Main Computer, and _if_ you have access to his original file – provided his original file was updated relatively recently prior to his death, which it might not have been…" the Vexen Replica was silent for a moment, almost as if he were considering what he said next: "Yes, it should be possible."

"And if his file wasn't updated recently?" Axel asked.

"Well… depends on how much he is missing," the Vexen Replica replied slowly. "We could restore him – lacking memory – without a problem. But if you want him to have all his memories…"

"I do."

"Then…" the Vexen Replica took another moment to think. "I suppose we could use your memories of him to fill in the gaps. It will not be _ideal,_ and I have never worked with memories before, but it should be possible."

Axel smiled and banished his chakram, though he did not let go of the Vexen Replica's cloak. "C'mon then, we're going to go see the boss." He reached out and formed a dark corridor.

"We're—_what_!?"

Axel had already dragged him through the dark corridor.

_xXx_

**~take 2 aka the LESS obvious take** (since I wanted to surprise y'all with Roxas):

Axel grabbed the Vexen Replica by his cloak and slammed him into the wall. He summoned a chakram with his free hand and held it to the Vexen Replica's throat. The Vexen Replica eyed it warily, but did not flinch.

"You aren't telling me something," Axel hissed.

"I've told you that it's impossible," the Vexen Replica replied, the calmness he had only faltering slightly. "I don't see what the point is threatening me over it. The information is absolutely useless to you."

"Then there's no harm telling me," Axel said; it was easy for him to go from threatening and angry to calm and almost laughing, given he was merely pretending to feel these emotions. There were some perks to being a Nobody and lacking a heart.

The Vexen Replica cast another wary glance at the chakram at his throat, and then sighed. "Yes," he said. "If we had access to the Main Computer of Castle Oblivion, we could create a Replica."

Axel's calm quickly became anger again. "That wasn't the question I asked. I _asked_ if it were _possible_!"

"Well, if the original file was updated recently… oh," the Vexen Replica paused and put on a mock expression of sadness. "It wouldn't even matter if it was; we don't have access to any of the original files. They were on the database, and the database was _wiped._"

Despite lacking a heart, Axel was suddenly not very fond of this Vexen Replica.

"What if I can get around that problem?" he asked.

The Vexen Replica raised his eyebrows. "I suppose you can get around the lack of access to the Main Computer then, too," he said. His tone clearly said that he didn't believe that one bit, and found the entire idea laughable.

Axel pressed his chakram up against the Vexen Replica's throat, just enough to pierce the skin.

"You won't kill me," the Vexen Replica said, remaining perfectly calm. "If this brilliant plan of yours is going to work, you need someone who knows how to use the Program, and you aren't going to want to hunt another one of us down. If there even _is_ another one of us. Master Vexen didn't just give the knowledge of his Program to any Replica."

Axel didn't move the chakram. "Can we do it or not?"

"_If _you miraculously have access to the Main Computer, and _if_ you have access to the original file – provided the original file was updated relatively recently prior to…" The Vexen Replica trailed off, and was silent for quite some time, as if he were considering what he said next: "Yes, it should be possible."

"And if the file wasn't updated recently?"

"Well… depends on how much is missing from the original file," the Vexen Replica replied slowly. "Theoretically, we could restore it – lacking all memories – without a problem. But if you want the memories…"

"I do."

"Then…" the Vexen Replica took another moment to think. "I suppose we would have to resort to other means to fill the gaps. It would not be _ideal, _and I have never worked with memories before, but it… should be possible."

Axel smiled and banished his chakram, though he did not let go of the Vexen Replica's cloak. "C'mon then, we're going to go see the boss." He reached out and formed a dark corridor.

"We're—_what_!?"

Axel had already dragged him through the dark corridor.

**~and then I turned that version above into Demyx's POV and that is what you see in Dead Inside **(ch135 if I'm not mistaken…)

_xXx_

**~And… back to what we were doing!**

They arrived in Where Nothing Gathers—the Round Room, as most in the Organization referred to it—rather unceremoniously. After being dragged through the dark corridor by Axel—whom he was beginning to think had gone insane—Vexen Replica Number 26 found himself thrown to the ground. He bit his tongue, trying to hold on to his calm. No outbursts; he needed to be in control of his emotions. That was what he had promised Master Vexen.

"I assume you have good reason for coming to me like this, Axel," Xemnas said, his tone so emotionless—calm—that it almost made 26 jealous.

The fragments of jealousy were quickly replaced by anger as 26 felt a foot—no doubt it was Axel's—nudge him in the side. He would not be treated this way! His hold on his emotions broke. But considering that he had been threatened, dragged here against his will, thrown to the ground and _kicked in the side_—in front of the Organization's Superior, no less!—he figured he had a right to feel angry. He was about to do something with that anger when Axel said:

"Tell him what you told me."

Anger quickly fled to panic. Admitting that Axel's crazy ideas were possible to _Axel_ was one thing. He'd merely done that to get the chakram away from his throat. Explaining that this impossible idea might actually work to the _Superior_ was something 26 did _not_ want to do.

"Now, wait a minute," he said, scrambling to his feet. "This plan of yours does _not_ actually work, Axel!" He turned his attention to Xemnas. "My apologies, Lord Xemnas," he said with a slight bow. "If I had known Axel was going to drag me to you, I would've tried harder to make it clear to him that pursuing this plan of his is pure folly."

Axel ignored him. "I found a way to bring Roxas back," he said.

"Did you?" Xemnas sounded intrigued. Given the fact he lacked emotions and didn't try to pretend otherwise (like most other members of the Organization), 26 figured this wasn't a good thing.

"No, he didn't," 26 corrected, firmly but politely. He'd deal with his anger towards Axel later. For the moment, calmness was his best option. If he wanted to convince both Axel and Xemnas that this plan _wouldn't work,_ outbursts were certainly not going to help him. "We lack access to the full Program, and without it, we cannot create a Replica at all."

"I already said I could get around that problem, didn't I?" Axel replied, raising his eyebrows.

26 frowned.

"Can you, Axel?" Xemnas asked.

"Yeah."

"Then why have you not mentioned it sooner? Why have you let us all sit and wait for Saix to retrieve the Program, if you already knew how to do so?"

Axel scratched his head. "Because my plan doesn't necessarily mean we get the Program back. It just grants us access to it long enough for us to create a Replica."

"And what would your plan be?" 26 asked.

"We storm Castle Oblivion, lock ourselves in with the Computer, rebuild Roxas, get out; simple." Axel acted like it was no big deal. 26 rolled his eyes. There was certainly more to storming Castle Oblivion than that.

"What if the Computer Room is locked?" 26 asked. "What if we can't get in? How large are their defenses? There are _holes_ in this plan, Axel. What about the Database? They wiped that, remember? Without that, we cannot access Roxas's original file."

Axel gave him a sideways look. "Do you think they're idiots? They have the Database backed up on an external hard drive. And I happen to know where they're keeping it."

"And what else do you _happen_ to know?"

"A lot of things," Axel replied vaguely. "The Rebellion trusts me. I figured that if I let them think that I was on their side, my recon missions in C.O. would be a lot easier."

26 glared at Axel, not believing or trusting him one bit. However, Xemnas was more likely to listen to Axel than to him, which meant that they were most likely going to end up going through with this ridiculous plan. If only he could figure out how to convince them that this wasn't a good idea…

_But Xemnas wants his Keyblade wielder._

_ And Axel wants Roxas._

The odds weren't in his favor.

"Even so, Axel," he said. "Yes, this ridiculous plan of yours _might_ work, but there are still a million things that could go wrong in rebuilding Roxas."

"You told me that it was possible." The tone in Axel's voice didn't leave much room for argument. "That provided we got a hold of his original file, the only thing we might have trouble with is memories."

"Memories are fickle things," 26 argued, anyway. "They might not be as easy to restore as you would hope."

"I don't see a problem," Xemnas interrupted. "We can get our Keyblade wielder back, isn't that enough?"

Axel smiled smugly. 26 grimaced.

"I think it is." A new voice. Xigbar. 26 wondered when he had arrived. "But we might want to put a little more thought into this before we attack Castle Oblivion. Figure out a plan of action, who's going, you know." He sounded surprisingly casual, and even lounged in his chair like he had no care in the world.

"Inform the other members that we'll have a meeting in an hour," Xemnas instructed. "We'll discuss it then."

Without a word, Xigbar was gone.

Axel formed a dark corridor around himself, changing his position so he was now in his seat for the meeting. 26 stood where he was, unsure of quite what to do. He wasn't quite happy about the fact they were going through with this plan, but you really couldn't argue with Xemnas.

"Should I stay?" he asked. It was a formality more than anything else. Replicas were not often allowed at the Organization's meetings, and he was most likely going to be sent away. But he still had to ask, on the off chance he _was_ needed. "I will need to come with you – or whoever is going – on the mission; you'll need me to work the Program."

"Do you have any input you feel is necessary for the plan?" Xemnas asked.

_Besides that there are a million things that could go wrong and we shouldn't be risking so much…?_

"No, sir," he said.

"Then you may go."

26 nodded, formed a dark corridor around himself, and was gone.


	52. DIch159161 - What 19's up to

Anyway so as for what was going on with 19 in ch161~

* * *

><p>"No, go after her," Vexen said.<p>

Riku left without a moment's hesitation.

Alpha groaned.

Vexen just leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, clearly satisfied with his decision. "You wouldn't have wanted to deal with him if he hadn't gone after her," he said. "Trust me."

"And why is that?" Alpha asked.

"For starters, he wouldn't have listened to a word we'd say. Second of all—" Vexen just shook his head.

"You shouldn't have put down Namine's opinion like that…" 19 muttered.

"She didn't have anything but a gut feeling to back it," Alpha argued. "I have facts. I _know_ what Riku's memories can do. And seeing how she's so… connected to him, it's perfectly logical she'd express the things he suppressed. In some cases, through the meltdowns."

"I'm not denying your facts, Alpha," 19 said. "I know just as well as you do what memories are capable of. Especially memories clamoring to be released. Memories needing an outlet—any outlet. I'm not denying that there might be a correlation between Namine being so in tune with Riku and her meltdowns."

19 took a deep breath, straightened slightly, and squared his shoulders. "All I'm saying, Alpha," he continued. "Is we shouldn't ignore her gut feeling. We shouldn't deny the possibility that you may be wrong and she may be right."

Alpha stared at 19 for a long moment.

"Do you… do you know something we don't, 19?" he asked.

"No," 19 said. "…maybe. I don't know." He shook his head. "I don't think so."

Alpha raised his eyebrows.

19 swallowed.

"If you'd give me… a few minutes, I can look," he said, eyes focused on the wall, and not on Alpha. "See what I might have. I don't re- _think_ I have anything, but. I can check." He nodded, getting to his feet. "If you'll excuse me…"

They all watched him go. Alpha frowned.

"Should I…?" Vexen asked, slowly, nodding in 19's direction.

"Be my guest."

Vexen got to his feet and followed after 19.

_xXx_

Vexen paused outside the partially closed door. He swallowed, steeling his nerve, and started to push the door open so he could peer in.

"Vexen, don't!" 19 called.

Vexen froze.

"Close the door, please," 19 said. "I know you're there, so don't try and pretend you're not."

Vexen sighed, and closed the door almost all the way. "I want to talk to you, and I don't want to do that through a completely closed door."

"Vexen, please, not now!"

The urgency in his voice made Vexen start, and he nearly closed the door all the way in his surprise. He caught himself, though. "What are you… doing?" he asked, slowly.

"Just _go away!_"

"I'm only curious-"

"And you are the last person who needs to know about—_don't touch _agh." Whatever 19 was going to say—or trying to say—fell into a groan.

"19?" Vexen called, worriedly.

"I'm _fine_! Now _go. Away!_"

"But what are you-"

"It's none of your business!

"But I-"

"Vexen. _Please._ Now is n_ot_ the time!"

~**mrrr that went really badly ugh. Definitely not what was in my head earlier**

xXx

**this is what ended up in Dead Inside, but is the bare minimum of dialogue/includes 19's thoughts stuff idk I feel like it should just go here even if it's MOST LIKELY not a format Fanfic's okay with...**

~and then there was this thing where 19 came in and he's all flustered and a bit pale

You find anything? (Alpha asks)

No. (His response is short. He's not really in the mood to deal with much right now—his world's a bit shaky and it's hard to keep his thoughts straight because he's just been experiencing someone else's memories and he usually gives himself some time to recover before doing anything else but he skipped the recovery step)

(Amaryllis gives him a look, like "you _sure_" because Amaryllis knows about the pictures and 19's response is short and he bets he's holding something back)

Not anything _useful,_ anyway (19 clarifies, a bit annoyed)

Any information can be useful, (Vexen says)

I promise you, that this _isn't._

(And he casts a nervous glance at Riku, because he's really sensitive to Namine's (and by extension Riku's haha) emotions right now, and they just had that fight, and he's trying to hold himself together but he hasn't recovered and it's hard and he's going to break down so he just leaves because _he really can't do that right now_)

He's hiding something, isn't he? (Riku asks, skeptically)

Sounded like it (Vexen said)

What information was he even looking for?

Anything useful, I'm assuming

Hmm…

Do you want me to go ask him about it? (Amaryllis asks, because Vexen's tried and that didn't work)

Go on. Maybe you'll have better luck than me (Vexen tells him)

_xXx_

Amaryllis slowly pushed the door open. 19 was sitting against the wall, shoulders slumped, eyes closed, looking absolutely exhausted.

"19-"

"Please not now, Amaryllis," 19 said, voice tired. "I have a headache and I really just need to sit down for a few minutes and try and…"

Amaryllis waited, but 19 did not continue.

"You checked her pictures, though?" Amaryllis asked, after a moment. "I'm assuming that's what you checked…"

"Yes."

"And you really did find nothing?"

19 nodded, wearily. "Yes. I was only so short because my head hurts right now and I can't be around Riku at the moment."

Amaryllis frowned. "Okay… You- you sure you didn't find anything?"

"Amaryllis, please, I am positive."

"But you said they could predict the future."

19 sighed. "They predict _Namine's_ future. However, it's only bits and pieces, and I can only gather so much from a few pictures. Especially since there isn't a single meltdown portrayed in them—and I wouldn't expect there to be. Who'd draw that?"

Amaryllis shrugged. 19 did have a point there.

"Exactly. Now, if you wouldn't mind…"

"Of course," Amaryllis said, starting to close the door as he left. "Do you need anything?"

"Hmm? Oh. No. Just a moment's rest to sort everything out in my head… preferably alone."

"Okay." Amaryllis let out a long breath, and closed the door.

**and scrapped dialogue:**

[Like I told 23, all the pictures give me is a rough idea of what's happening _to Namine_. I was only able to gather a rough idea of what's going on in her head, and, while that might be useful, it is private information that I am not willing to share. Now, I'd appreciate it if I could be left alone…]


	53. Dich163 from Aerith's POV

I should upload this before I forget, huh? Ch163 from Aerith's POV. (well, not all of ch163 just the most important bit)

* * *

><p>Riku shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. It could be." He paused. "I'm not taking any chances. I don't want her hurting. Her safety means more to me than anything."<p>

Aerith turned to him, worried. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach, an unsettled feeling in her chest, because: "But if this theory is proven correct…"

She couldn't even say it. It made her heart churn. Just the thought.

"I know," Riku told her, catching on. Thankfully.

"So, I trust you understand why Riku needs to stay here, then?" Alpha asked, glancing at each of them in turn.

Cid nodded. "Yeah."

"Think so!" Yuffie said.

Aerith said nothing. She understood why Riku _didn't_ need to stay here. Sure, they were doing this to cure Namine's memory meltdowns. But never seeing her again was a steep price to pay. Too steep, in her opinion.

Never seeing someone you loved again…

Never seeing his smile again. Hear his laugh. His voice. Listen to him go on and on about things she hardly cared about. Walking with him through town—he always walked too fast and she nearly had to run to catch up—enjoying the sun, the fresh air, the noise of people chatting around them. Sitting next to him. Feeling his arms around her—strong but always gentle. The way he'd hold her tight, playing with the bow in her hair. Or the way he'd tug on it—or her braid—when he was teasing. Never hard, just enough to be obnoxious. And she'd scold him, and he'd feign embarrassment before bursting out laughing. And of course his laughter was contagious, so she'd at least smile, if not laugh with him, too.

Oh, it hurt, not being able to see him again.

She would never wish that pain on Riku.

Or Namine.

"Are you _really _sure about this?" Aerith asked, turning on Riku. Her voice was catching. "From the way it sounded, if he's right and you really _are_ causing her meltdowns, then the only way to stop them—"

"Is to never see her again. I know." He sounded very nonplussed about it. Like it didn't matter. Or… more like he was just shutting all his emotion down, so he couldn't feel _anything_ about it. _Especially_ not the sadness.

Aerith swallowed.

"You'd really do that?" Cid asked. He seemed impressed.

Aerith didn't care. She wanted—_needed_—to be positive that Riku was sure about what he was doing. If he didn't know, if he didn't understand what he was jumping into—

"Riku, you don't have to," she told him. "Really. I know we promised we wouldn't let you go back, but- but if you don't want to do this- if you want to go back." She swallowed. "I'm not stopping you."

_And I'll make sure no one else does, either, though I don't think anyone here would _really_ try and stop if you if you tried to leave_.

Riku just shrugged. He seemed really distant. Like he was doing everything but actually feeling his emotions. "Like I said, her safety means more to me than anything. I'd do anything to keep her from hurting."

"Even never seeing her again?"

"Yes."

Aerith stared. Did he not realize what he was giving up? Did he not realize the price he was paying?

But maybe he did realize it. And he really did accept it. Because he wanted to keep Namine safe. He wanted to keep her from hurting. It's what he'd always wanted. What he'd always want. It shouldn't surprise her so much that he was so willing to do this, regardless of how much it'd hurt him.

Aerith let out a long breath, not sure of what to say.

There was nothing that seemed right to say.

So she headed to the kitchen to see if Leon needed help, so she wouldn't have to worry about it right now. She'd worry about it later. Think on it. Talk to Riku later. What else could she do?


	54. DIch170 from Yuffie's POV whoo

I could've uploaded the thing with Larxene being a jerk. But I decided to upload Yuffie doing awesome things that Riku missed because he was out instead. Whoo.

Anyway, this is the tail-end of ch170 from Yuffie's POV. It's not much... but it's something.

* * *

><p><em>Ah! Heartless!<em>

Yuffie watched Riku summon his blade and start attacking. Right. Okay, he could do that, and she'd stay here, hidden. But… he'd hurt his shoulder, hadn't he? But which one… Shoot.

_I'll jump in if he looks like he's having trouble, _Yuffie resolved. _I don't think he'll be happy otherwise._

He didn't appear to be having any trouble, though. Typical. He cut through one of the Neoshadows without a problem—

_Wait a minute. Why did he—_

She went rigid with shock, as a terrible, gut-wrenching, _terrified_ scream left Riku's mouth. He'd gotten hit but a little Thunder. He should've been able to shake it off—everyone else could. But instead he screamed. And collapsed. And he didn't move, except to curl in on himself.

_What is he—_

_ Why-_

Yuffie had no idea, and wasn't sure if she wanted to know, either. Seeing Riku like this scared her a little. He'd never seemed so vulnerable. So broken. He still hadn't moved.

_How can a little Thunder do _that_ to him?_

She shook her head, bringing herself back into focus. The remaining Neoshadows were closing in on Riku. She tossed her shuriken, aiming for the yellow Heartless first. Those seemed like more of a threat… at least to Riku…

She didn't want to think about what getting hit by any more Thunder would do to him.

The yellow Heartless dead, and the Neoshadows searching for the threat, Yuffie hopped down off the roof she was hiding on, and threw her shuriken at them. It took her a second, but soon they were dead, too. She rushed over to Riku, dropping her shuriken and casting a Cure on him just to be safe. He still didn't move.

"Riku!" she shouted, shaking him. He had large scratches across his chest and back, obviously from the Neoshadows. But that didn't explain why he was still out. "Riku!" she shook him again.

* * *

><p>and then I got stuck haha<p> 


	55. (DI) Two?

this is random and short but it happened in my head and should happen on paper. thank you and goodday

**Update Feb 2014: **I forgot to post on _when _this happens. Ah. Sometime after Roxas was rebuilt aka like ch155. Sometime after that. (Timing isn't incredibly important but it happens sometime after that chapter, but probably before ch200)

* * *

><p>Getting ice cream in Twilight Town wasn't much more than nostalgic, to be honest. Roxas <em>liked<em> the ice cream, sure, but… he and Axel hadn't much time for it, and... And there wasn't anyone _else_ to go with.

Not that he supposed he minded going on his own, but, if he was going to be doing something on his own, he had more important things to be doing. Going on extra rounds to kill more Heartless took about as much time as purchasing and eating ice cream did, and it was more productive, too.

Regardless, Roxas figured that since he was already in Twilight Town—on those extra rounds and all—he might as well stop and get some. Later. Once he'd gotten all the Heartless. It'd be like a reward! _Almost_ as good as a day off, not that he knew what to do with a day off if he were to get one.

"Roxas!" someone called.

He paused, recognizing the voice. Ah… it'd been a while since he'd seen Joseph. Though he shouldn't be surprised, given Joseph was here getting ice cream often enough. It was a surprise they didn't run into each other more often, honestly… but maybe it was good that they didn't.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you, kid," he said, gruffly. "We'll both get in trouble."

All association with the Rebellion was forbidden. At least he could say it was Joseph who initiated the conversation.

Joseph looked up at him, a look of resignation in his eyes. He slowly reached into his pocket. "Then we won't talk," he said. He handed Roxas two WINNER sticks.

Roxas frowned at them. "Thanks," he said. "But I don't need—" He looked up, but found that Joseph was already gone. "…two."


	56. (CoM) Lie

this scene is 10000x worse when you take the lyrics of the song "I (love)" by Gumi into account. (also for the love of pete please find a cover of that song if you're going to listen to it-Gumi wasn't made to sing in english and it's a little awful to listen to. there's a youtube user named "melongeneration" that has a nice cover)

**edit:** btw wow I can't believe I forgot to mention but this is a continuation of Riku's memory-thing/sceney-thing in DIch168 JUST SO YOU HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA CONTEXT

* * *

><p>"Aww, what's wrong?" she called, trying to milk as much discomfort and pain from him as she possibly could.<p>

He didn't say anything. He shouldn't say anything. Why would he want to? He'd just had his heart ripped in two, and then Larxene decided he needed to be punished. There was nothing to say. No more to do.

He didn't even want to try and get up.

Or stop his screams.

Or his tears.

He was too broken at this point to do anything.

"Y'know she was lying, right?" Larxene continued, calmly, no laughter to her voice. No malice. Nothing.

It almost made him believe her.

"It's all Namine's good at doing, so I wouldn't fuss too much over it. She's a witch."

"She is _not!_" he roared, the action automatic. Reflexive. He pushed himself up, enough to glare at Larxene, though his arms were jelly and it was hard to even keep himself more than three inches off the ground.

"Deny it all you want!" Larxene laughed, shrugging. "Pretend she's the girl you're dying to keep safe. The girl you _love_. I won't stop you. But you've seen it, now. This is how she really is. A manipulative little witch."

"She. Is. _Not!_"

He couldn't help himself.

He was on his feet, throwing himself at Larxene, anger coursing through his veins. It. Wasn't. True. It couldn't be. He wouldn't _allow_ it.

Of course, Larxene caught him by the upper arm, throwing him off balance, stopping him before he could do her any harm. She held him there, his feet dangling a few inches from the ground.

"Careful there," she warned. Surprisingly, the anger was absent from her voice.

He stayed very still, breath caught in his throat, trying not to struggle, knowing it wouldn't end well.

"Deny it all you want," Larxene repeated. "But you're still her perfect little weapon. Her knight. Not that the princesses ever fall in love with the knight, do they? They fall in love with the hero that rescues them."

His heart was pounding in his ears.

He wasn't the hero.

Sora was.

"I think I'll let you off the hook," Larxene said, suddenly, dropping him. He crumpled in a heap, heaving, trying to hold onto his stomach. "It's not like you can help it. She's the one at fault here, not you."

He wanted to puke.

He wasn't her hero.

He never would be.


	57. (DI) What did you talk about last night?

pst this conversation happens shortly ish after DIch176. (I imagine it happens later that day when Aerith eventually gets around to finishing with washing the dishes.)

* * *

><p>"So… what <em>did<em> you two talk about last night?" Leon asked, as he picked a plate up out of the sink and started drying it off. Aerith looked up at him, wryly. She hadn't exactly _asked_ for his help with the dishes.

"Well…" she said, slowly.

"I mean, I get if it's private," he added. "I'd just like to know how it all lead to… _family._ Not that- not that I _mind_ calling Riku family, I just…"

"He doesn't have one," Aerith explained.

"He's got—"

"He's got _Namine_. That's it."

Leon was silent for a moment, as he put the plate away. "What about… Sora and Kairi?" he asked.

"He hasn't seen them much for the past… couple of months," Aerith said, then shrugged. "I mean, I don't know. I just know they're friends. And I can _assume… _but I can't just sit and hope someone else will—" She trailed off, letting out a long breath, clearly worked up about the matter.

"It's… more than the fact Riku doesn't have a family, isn't it?" Leon asked, as he took the next plate from Aerith.

"It's…" she sighed. "He doesn't have _anyone_. Namine aside, of course."

"Not even in Castle Oblivion? He's been staying there for—"

"He's stayed because he feels like he _has_ to. And from the sounds of it, he doesn't think very highly of the people there." She set a now-clean glass in the sink next to her, seeing as Leon still had his hands full with the plate. "In fact, he thinks very _lowly_ of most of them."

"Right."

Aerith sighed.

"I guess… I just wanted him to know _someone_ cared about him," she said. "Or… I don't know. I can't- I can't _explain_ it, Leon. You weren't there. You didn't see him. You didn't…" She trailed off, sighing again.

Leon opened his mouth to speak, but Aerith was talking again.

"It was like… he couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that I was worried about him," she said. "He just gave me this blank stare, and then- and then he told me he didn't _deserve _it!" She laughed, in disbelief. "And he couldn't even tell me _why _he thought that, just that he knew and- and I just wanted to… offer him a place where he'd never have to feel like that again. Where he'd never feel like he was worth nothing, or that no one cared about him. I wanted to offer him a place where he'd always be loved and- and _this_ is the only place where I can guarantee that."

Leon looked at her, long and hard. She wiped her brow, a little frustrated now.

"And I guess I should've talked to you guys about it," she said. "It is my house, but you're my family too and—"

"I don't think anyone's going to complain," Leon assured her.

"But you were all so… I don't know… about it. This morning."

He chuckled. "It kind of came out of nowhere, that's all. At least, from our perspective, anyway."

"That's true," Aerith admitted.

"If you're really worried about it, then you should tell Cid and Yuffie what you told me," Leon said. "I don't think Cid's going to have a problem with it, and Yuffie… is probably going to find something to complain about regardless of what she feels on the matter."

"I don't complain!" Yuffie shouted.

Aerith turned in her direction, a little shocked. Yuffie was sitting at the table. Probably had been sitting at the table for a while.

"How long have you been there?" Leon asked.

"I heard most of the conversation," Yuffie said.

"Oh," was all Aerith could say.

"So… you promise you aren't going to give Riku too much grief if he stays over more often, right?" Leon asked, looking past Aerith so he could make eye-contact with Yuffie.

Yuffie just shrugged, folded her arms across her chest, leaning back in her chair. "I gotta give him a little," she said with a smirk. "What sort of sister would I be if I didn't? But, no, I won't be _too_ mean to him. I'm not _cruel._"

"No, you're not," Aerith said, satisfied.

Leon slung the towel over his shoulder, and reached up to put the glass away in the cabinet. He paused, did a quick count, and… yup.

"We missing a glass?" he asked.

"Yeah."

Aerith didn't even hesitate with the response.

"Did… uh, Riku drop it?" Leon asked.

Aerith laughed, much to Leon's surprise.

"Did he tell you he dropped them?"

"…yes," Leon frowned. "He didn't?"

"He… threw them," Aerith said, smiling to herself. "Smashed them against the floor—I told him to, though."

"Why'd you tell him to break our dishes?" Yuffie asked.

"Because it was a less harmful way to take out his frustration," Aerith explained. "And it's not like it'll cost too much to replace them—I'll have to do that later today…"

"Not necessarily," Leon said. "Unless you _plan_ on having company over within the next few days."

Aerith thought about it for a moment. "Well… no…" she admitted, and turned away, covering up a yawn.

Leon sighed. "Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked.

"Uhm…"

"That's a no!" Yuffie said.

"Maybe… you should go take a nap?" Leon suggested, looking at Aerith.

"The dishes—"

"Yuffie can help me finish."

"I—" Yuffie began.

"Yuffie can help me finish," Leon repeated, throwing her a look.

Yuffie sighed, but got up. "Yeaaah, I can help," she said, sliding into the kitchen and snatching the towel off of Leon's shoulder. "But you gotta wash!"

Leon turned to Aerith again.

She sighed.

"Okay. If you insist…"


	58. Can't Escape ch65 from Riku's POV

soooo this is the end of the Crossover (Can't Escape ch65 specifically tho the crossover starts at ch62) from Riku's POV. We ended up going with Vexen's because it was a) longer and b) sliiiiightly more imporant (but only slightly). Riku's side is still a bit important, but I personally like the development on Vexen more. Ha.

Annyhoo

* * *

><p>Riku scrambled backwards a little, kicking up a bit of sand as he did so. Sand which—of course—got kicked in Vexen's direction. Vexen grimaced, coughing as he pushed himself up. Riku smirked.<p>

"There he is!" he laughed. "I knew you were around here somewhere. The experiment went well, I hope."

Vexen sat up and dusted himself off. "I'm technically not _finished,_" he muttered, sounding frustrated. He cast an annoyed look up at Roxas and Xion—_this_ universe's Roxas and Xion. "I was rudely interrupted."

Riku chuckled. "Now you know how I feel."

Vexen glared at him.

"Anyway." Riku got to his feet, stretching. "We should probably get going, before Vexen gets started on anything again."

"Yeah," Sora laughed. "You won't be able to get him to stop!"

Vexen started to look offended, then frowned. "How is it that you and Roxas are separate?" he asked. "And _you—_" he pointed at Kairi "—and Namine? Shouldn't that… not be possible?"

"Ah, funny story, actually," Roxas said. "We're all—"

But the rest of the words blurred to Riku's ears.

_"Don't you dare!"_

His voice. In his head.

"_Riku, please…_"

Namine?

"_Oh, I didn't realize that _you_ were—_"

Larxene!

But…

"_Riku, _please!_"_

He clutched his head; it was suddenly throbbing. Throbbing just like…

"—fascinating!" Vexen was saying. "How, exactly, does that…" He trailed off. Riku sent him a look. Vexen just frowned, looking worried. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Headache," Riku mumbled.

Just like in Hollow Bastion. This had happened then, too. A lot. Frequently. He'd had a headache that he couldn't make go away, and it'd felt exactly like this. It'd felt like his head was on fire, but also… also like…

"Ah, I think he's right," Vexen said, suddenly. "We should… get back to the other universe."

If anyone else said anything, Riku didn't hear it. His head was pounding too much. He was surprised he heard Vexen.

"Good idea," he mumbled, stepping through the corridor Vexen had just formed. His mind was too occupied—between his thoughts and the pain—to give any proper goodbyes.

He couldn't exactly describe what he was feeling, in his head, but it… it _felt_ like Namine. The touch of her mind when it connected with his.

She could see into his head. Could… he see into hers?

And if he was seeing fragments of memories along with feeling like his head was about to burst… then…

Then she was having a meltdown.

And that was why his head would've hurt so much in Hollow Bastion! Because she had so many meltdowns—of course he had a persistent headache. And, now that he thought about it, between the nightmares and everything else he'd felt during that week, it made sense. It made _a lot_ of sense.

But if there was anything he was certain of, it was that she was having a meltdown _now._ Which meant—

Wait a minute.

"Ah…" Vexen sighed. "Wrong universe. We're still in… _this_ Castle Oblivion."

Riku rounded on him, furious. "Why'd you bring us _here?! _Is this another one of your stupid experiments?!"

"No! I- I just did what I normally do to get back to the other universe!" Vexen said. "I didn't expect to—"

"You're lying!"

He couldn't help the accusation from leaving his lips. His head was pounding. His heart was racing. The walls of this _damn_ Castle seemed to be pressing in on him, as if trying to squeeze the air out of his lungs.

"No, Riku, I swear—" Vexen began.

"But why'd you bring me here to begin with?" Riku demanded, his voice cracking. "This _universe?_ Why- did you just want to put me in front of _her?_ Watch me as I panicked?!"

"You didn't panic…" Vexen said, calmly.

"Yes I did!"

Vexen sighed, almost sounding a little disappointed. "You did fine after—"

"That doesn't _matter!_" Riku shouted. "I- I dealt with it because I had to! And maybe I'm not upset about seeing her but I didn't _want_ to and you just _drag_ me over here? Like I'm still—" His voice broke. He couldn't finish that. He didn't want to finish that.

The walls of the Castle seemed only to close further around him.

Vexen frowned. "Like you're still… what?" he asked.

"Like…" Riku sighed, fingers curling into his hair. "Like Castle Oblivion all over again…" he muttered. "Like I'm just…"

No.

He shouldn't say that.

"Go ahead," Vexen told him, apparently sensing why he'd stopped. "There's no need to worry about hurting my feelings or anything."

"Like I'm just an experiment to you," Riku said. He laughed, bitterly. "Not that I care what you think of me. But it's not exactly nice to feel like I'm _anyone's_ experiment.

Vexen was silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry," he said, finally. "I got excited, and…"

Riku didn't look at him. The apology was nice, he supposed, but it felt weird. Had Vexen ever apologized to him before?

"You could've at least _asked,_" he mumbled. "Or _told me._ Or…"

"I will next time."

"There won't _be_ a next time."

"Hypothetically." Vexen chuckled a little as he said it.

For some reason, Riku found himself smiling, too, but he made sure to look anywhere _but_ at Vexen so he couldn't notice.

"Why _did_ you bring me over here, anyway?" he asked, again.

"I did want to see how you interacted with Namine, yes," Vexen said. "But I also thought I'd… test more of Alpha's hypothesis. If Namine—you know… heh… _your_ Namine—had a meltdown while you were in a completely different universe, then—"

"Yeah, but you should have _waited,_" Riku interrupted. He could see what Vexen was getting at, but… "I mean, she just had _nine._ The chances of her having a _tenth_ this week?"

Vexen only raised his eyebrows.

"Isn't she having one now?"

Riku paused. That's right. She was.

"Ah, we should get back, then, shouldn't we?" Vexen asked.

"I'll form the corridor."


	59. (TH) First time Swimmer (Riku)

I wrote this up a couple weeks ago. It got posted to my tumblr. But heeeeeeeeeere it is again for everyone

(takes place... beginning of Truth Hurts. Ish.)

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><p>Riku cast a hesitant look at the water, not sure if he was drawn to it or scared of it. He had no clue if he could swim or not. It would probably be one of those innate abilities, like walking. One that he couldn't have forgotten if he already knew it. But… that didn't make him any more fond of the idea. He'd put off swimming this long because of his wrist, and being injured in other places, and…<p>

Of course, since he lived on an island now, he'd have to get used to swimming sooner or later. Sooner, rather than later, actually. There was no question about it. He let out a long breath.

"Aw, what's the matter, Riku?" Sora called, already pretty far out in the ocean. "You've definitely healed up by now! Why are you still so scared of gettin' wet?"

He shrugged. "I just…"

He didn't want to say it.

"You just what?" Sora asked.

"Dunno if I can swim," Riku muttered, digging his toes into the sand.

Sora frowned, cocking his head to the side. Likely he hadn't heard what Riku'd said. Kairi was closer, though, and she'd definitely heard. She made her way back to the beach, dripping wet.

"Whaddya mean you can't swim?" she laughed, shoving him playfully.

He took a step to the side to keep his balance, flushing and looking down at his feet. "I didn't say I couldn't. I said I didn't _know_ if I could."

"What's that?" Sora said, as he made his way to the beach, too. He was laughing, just like Kairi was. "You said you can't swim?"

"No!" Riku protested, feeling his cheeks grow hotter by the second. "At least- I- I don't think that's it… I just… can't remember if I can swim or not."

Both Sora and Kairi immediately gave him their best sympathetic looks. He sighed a little. He hated this routine. Sure, he couldn't remember anything. But it really wasn't such a bad thing. He wished they'd stop acting like it was.

"You remember nuttin' about it, huh?" Sora asked.

Riku shrugged. Honestly, a part of him felt like he'd been swimming before he could walk. Another felt like he'd never even laid eyes on water before he'd come here. He wasn't sure which to believe, and at the moment, sorting it out was only giving him a headache.

"Well, the best way to find out is to just get him in the water!" Kairi declared, grabbing Riku by the hand and dragging him into the water. She stepped into the ocean without hesitation, but Riku kept his eyes on his feet, trying not to step right as there was a wave coming in. Kairi laughed, and his cheeks grew redder.

She stopped dragging him when they were shin-deep in the water. Well, he was shin-deep. She was about knee-deep, given the height difference between them and the fact she was a little further out than he was.

"Anything coming back to you?" Sora asked, wading out to join them.

Riku shook his head, still staring down at the water, watching as the waves beat constantly against his legs. He clenched his toes into the ground, feeling the sand and a couple of pebbles.

"Well, we're not gonna find out if you can swim or not if you just stand there," Sora said, impatiently. Riku heard him shift—

"Sora!" Kairi shouted, and immediately lunged at him. She knocked him down, and they both went underwater for a second. Riku flinched a little at the spray of water they knocked up in the process. They reemerged shortly after going down, seeing as the water wasn't very deep where they were standing.

"You can't drag him down!" Kairi gasped, whacking Sora over the head. "That's _mean!_"

He just laughed. She splashed him in response.

Riku chuckled a little, rubbing his arm.

"Sora's right, though," Kairi said, after a moment. She shrugged apologetically. "The only way to figure out if you can swim is to actually try."

"Don't worry!" Sora scrambled to his feet. "I'll stay close to you so I can tow you back to shore if I need to!"

"And I'll make sure Sora doesn't dunk you or anything," Kairi added.

He splashed her.

Riku let out a long breath, and waded further out into the water, until it was up to his chest. At the very least, he didn't feel completely out of place in the water. Something in the back of his mind told him this would be easier if he went ahead and got his head wet now, so he took a deep breath and dunked his head under the water.

Being completely submerged didn't scare him at all, like he'd almost expected it to. In fact, it was almost comfortable. Without even thinking about it, he pushed off from the ground and swam forward, getting about three strokes before his head broke the surface again.

Kairi and Sora were grinning and cheering at him.

"There you go!" Kairi called.

"Can I dunk him now?" Sora asked her, not-so-quietly.

She smacked him again.

Riku laughed and swam back towards them. Sure enough, like he'd predicted, it was something of muscle memory. Even if he couldn't remember swimming before, he hadn't forgotten how to do it.


	60. (DI) If I'm me who are you?

this ties into DIch192 jsyk

ALSO I NEARLY FORGOT TO UPLOAD THIS MY BAD MY MEGA BAD

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><p>"Ven?" Aqua asked, staring at the person standing before her. He… <em>looked<em> like Ven—though he was wearing a black coat and held a different Keyblade, not to mention held it _differently_ than Ven did. (Ven was left handed and wielded backhand. This kid did neither.) But… his face was exactly the same. Exactly.

He turned to her, shook his head apologetically. "Nope, sorry. My name's Roxas!"

Roxas, huh? But…

Aqua was about to question him further, when—

"Aqua!" Ven called. "There you are!"

Both she and this Roxas kid turned to see where he was; he was a good distance away, and heading their direction. She waved him over, though she wasn't any less confused. Maybe it was… a trick of the light? Surely if she compared them side by side…

Except now that they were standing next to each other, she realized that they really were identical. Minus the clothes, of course. And… was Ven paler? Had he _always_ been that pale? Maybe Roxas's skin was just darker…

"Uhm…" Ven looked Roxas over, slowly frowning in his confusion. Roxas stared back at him, looking slightly confused—but certainly much less so.

"This is weird," he said, though his tone of voice suggested he couldn't be bothered too much about it.

Ven raised his left hand. Roxas raised his right, mirroring him. Ven put his hand down, and raised his other hand. Roxas did the same. They both leaned closer to each other, making a weird face—the same weird face. Aqua laughed.

"What?" Ven asked.

"The two of you!" Aqua exclaimed. "You're ridiculous!"

Ven just grinned. Roxas laughed.

"I have a question, though," Ven said. "If… I'm me. Then… who are you?" He pointed at first himself, then Roxas.

"Oh? I'm… a Replica. Of Sora." Roxas made a face, then. "Or… so I thought. I'm having second thoughts now that I'm looking at _you._"

"Hmm… Oh! Right!" Ven grinned. "My name's Ventus, by the way, since I haven't introduced myself. Everyone calls me Ven, though."

"My name's Roxas," Roxas said. "Everyone calls me… Roxas." He laughed. "I'm not sure if you can't shorten Roxas…"

Ven thought about it for a second. "Well… you could say… ah… Roxas… rocks…" He trailed off, running over the sounds under his breath as he thought some more. "Rock. Or Rocky. Or Roxy?"

"I'll stick with Roxas."

"I'm Aqua, by the way," Aqua said. "Since I hadn't introduced myself either."

Roxas smiled at her, but he seemed a little impatient now. Like he had somewhere else to be.

"If we're keeping you—" she began.

"What are you two doing here, anyway?" Roxas asked, like he hadn't heard her. "You're obviously not locals, and Agrabah isn't much of a good tourist spot either. Too much heat. Too much sand. Too many Heartless."

"That's why we're here!" Ven said. "The Heartless."

Roxas raised his eyebrows. "Is it?" he asked. He looked between them, skeptically. "Well… I've already got that covered…"

"We can help each other out, though, right?" Ven grinned. It was like he'd completely missed Roxas's sudden cold attitude. Maybe he had… Ven had never been too good at noticing that sort of thing.

"Ven," Aqua said. "If Roxas doesn't _want—_"

"Can you wield a Keyblade?" Roxas asked, suddenly, looking directly at Ven. Aqua frowned—that was the second time he'd interrupted her.

"Sure can!" Ven replied, summoning his Keyblade for extra emphasis.

Roxas lit up immediately.

"That's a funny way to hold your Keyblade," he exclaimed.

Ven just shrugged.

Roxas studied his grip for a moment, then spun his own Keyblade around to imitate it. He took a couple of swings, and surprised Aqua—and Ven, from the sounds of it—when he executed them with perfect form. It was like he'd be fighting that way for as long as Ven had.

"Nice!" Ven told him, grinning, completely awe-struck.

Roxas just flipped his Keyblade back around, turned to Aqua. "And you?"

"Yes…" she said, slowly. She blinked a few times, still stunned. After a second, she figured she might as well humor the boys, so she summoned her Keyblade, too. Roxas studied her intently, but didn't imitate how she was holding it, like she half expected him to. "Now, if we're a bother…"

"Nah!" Roxas flashed her a grin. His cold attitude had suddenly vanished. "I hear there's a pretty big Heartless out in the desert, and it wouldn't be a tragedy to have some back up. Wanna help me out?"

"I don't see why not!" Ven laughed. "Aqua?"

"I… yeah, sure." She let out a long breath. It wasn't that she minded. There was just something… about Roxas's attitude. And how it kept changing… Oh well. The Heartless was what they were here for.

"Let's go, then!" Roxas said, starting off.

Aqua banished her Keyblade, though they ended up working their way through the alleys instead of the main streets. They passed more Heartless this way, but Roxas kept plodding on, ignoring all of them. He kept saying he'd "get them later".

"Don't want to waste my potions, y'know?" he explained, after the third group of Heartless they ignored. "If I'm going up against a Big Bad, I want to make sure I'm well prepared!"

"Can't you just use Cure?" Ven laughed.

"Sure, but I wouldn't want to waste those, either!"

Aqua frowned a little, not sure if she understood. You couldn't _waste_ a spell. They were practically unlimited. Though, she supposed, it would be a bad idea to fight a larger enemy when you were worn out… So it made sense, at least, that Roxas wanted to save his energy. At least for now.

They eventually emerged from the alley—they had to, to go through the city gates. Roxas tensed and banished his Keyblade, sticking to the edges of the crowd, as if to blend in. He ended up getting through the crowd faster that way, nearly leaving Aqua and Ven behind.

_"Aqua!"_

She stopped in her tracks. Something was tugging in her chest.

"Aqua?" Ven paused, too, turning to look at her.

"I thought… I heard someone call my name…" she said, slowly. But had she heard it? The city was noisy…

"I didn't hear it," Ven said.

"Hey!" Roxas called. "Are you two coming or what?"

Aqua shook her head. "I must've imagined it."

"If you're sure." Ven hurried after Roxas. Aqua only hesitated a second more before she followed.

Once they were out of the city, it took them maybe five minutes to get to the ruins. The walk there was filled with Roxas telling them everything he knew about this Heartless—which was surprisingly a lot. It was too much to digest at once, actually. Aqua only really registered that Blizzard-type magic was supposed to work well on it. Ven seemed happy about that.

The ruins were, well… ruins. Various buildings were scattered across the area, all of them at least half-submerged in sand. From a distance, they could even see the Heartless, carving a path through the sand repetitively, all while kicking up more sand in the process.

Ven dashed off immediately, weaving his way through the ruins after the Heartless, jumping and gliding across the buildings. He moved at a speed that was slightly faster than should've been possible, but Aqua didn't notice. He'd been doing that forever. Roxas, however, _did_ notice, and stared for quite a bit in confusion.

"I know what he's doing," Aqua said, when Roxas didn't move. She assumed he just wasn't sure what to do with the battle plan, which they hadn't actually discussed. "Let's start attacking the Heartless."

"Sure, if we can pin it down," Roxas replied, bitterly. The Heartless was moving pretty fast, admittedly, and the sand it was kicking up didn't much help matters.

Aqua didn't hesitate, though. If Ven was doing what she thought he was doing, then it—

The Heartless stopped in its tracks, frozen solid. Aqua nodded, having expected that, and launched herself at it, as Ven landed and dusted off his hands.

Fighting with Roxas wasn't too different than fighting with Ven. In fact, it wasn't much different at all. Roxas seemed to use all the same attack patterns, and… oh. Aqua paused a second, noting that Roxas was fighting backhand like Ventus did. That would explain a lot.

But it was still a wonder that he'd managed not only to imitate Ven's fighting style, but also copy his attacks down to the finest detail. His form was perfect.

Aqua remembered when she and Terra were younger, they'd wanted to fight like Ven did. It'd only taken them a day to realize that Ven's style was something that would take them much more time than either of them was willing to give to master. And yet here Roxas was, having seemingly mastered the technique in about ten minutes.

"Hey!" Roxas shouted. "Would you two stop gaping and attack? I mean, I can handle this by myself, but what's the point of having backup if they don't do anything?!"

"Sorry," Aqua mumbled, shaking her head. She cast Thundaga at the Heartless.

"We're both just a little confused," Ven explained as he threw his Keyblade. "How is it you can… fight like that? So well? Not that I'm complaining! I just-" He shrugged, caught his Keyblade. "I've never met anyone else who could."

Roxas shrugged it off, then tossed is blade like Ven had. "I dunno. S'pose I got some of your data in me—being a Replica and all. I have your face. How much a stretch is it that I understand your fighting style?"

Ven didn't have time to answer. The Heartless broke free of the ice and started off again, paying them no attention. Ven launched into Fever Pitch and followed after it. Roxas attempted to imitate him, but he didn't have quite the affinity for wind and wasn't able to more than perform the bare mechanics of the attack.

Ven tricked the Heartless into running into one of the buildings, stunning it. Now that it wasn't moving, it was much easier to attack. Ven threw his Wingblade finisher at it, something which Roxas was quick to imitate. While he lacked the affinity for wind, he definitely had an affinity for light. He couldn't execute the attack quite like Ven could, but he was still pretty close.

Aqua frowned, watching Roxas. He'd flipped his Keyblade around again, fighting normally. Except, there was something… familiar about it. Almost like…

"Okay, I get you being able to fight like I can, but like _Aqua_ can?" Ven asked.

Roxas paused. "So what?" He seemed to be smirking a little. "Does it matter?"

"Well… no…" Ven admitted, his face scrunched up. "It's just… weird."

"It's useful," Roxas replied, taking another few swings at the Heartless. Aqua watched him closely—she hadn't doubted Ven, but she still wanted to see it for herself. Sure enough, he'd adapted his style to match hers. Unsurprisingly, his form was perfect, yet again. It almost made her jealous.

"How are you—" she began.

The Heartless regained consciousness and shook itself before launching itself into the air. The wind picked up, forming a tornado around the Heartless, and kicking up a lot of sand. Aqua shielded her eyes, not that it helped. Her question would have to wait…

But how _could_ Roxas imitate both of their fighting styles so easily? He was obviously a quick learner, but was that just because he was a Replica? Aqua didn't know much about Replicas. She hadn't even heard of them before she met that Joseph boy.

The Heartless started spitting bombs at them, which Roxas was quick to knock back with a Strike Raid. Was that a Strike Raid? There was something different about the way it spun…

Aqua's thoughts were interrupted as another Keyblade shot by in front of her, taking out one of the other bombs. She blinked a few times, taking a step back. That wasn't Ven's blade… but it can't have been Roxas's! His was still in the air, not to mention it looked completely different!

She tracked the blade with her eyes, watching to see who it flew back to. To her surprise, it went back to Roxas. He caught first his blade, then the second blade, spinning each of them under his fingertips. Aqua would've commented on how he was holding the blades—it wasn't proper Keyblade technique in the slightest—but she was a little more focused on the fact that he was holding _two_ of them.

"Y- you have _two _Keyblades!?" she managed to say.

"Yeah, and is now _really_ the time to discuss it?"

"Fair point!" Ven said, knocking another of the bombs back at the Heartless. This one broke its defenses and it collapsed, stunned again.

Roxas launched himself at the Heartless without hesitation, flipping his Keyblades so he was holding them normally. Ven ran into attack, too, throwing a lot of blizzard magic. Aqua followed suit, and soon enough the Heartless was defeated.

"_Two_ Keyblades?" Aqua asked again, staring at Roxas. "Never, in my life, have I heard of such a thing being possible!"

Roxas glared at her, banishing one of the Keyblades. "Look. I don't know why. I don't care if it's impossible. I can." He pointed his other Keyblade at her, a little threateningly. "That's all that matters."

"Hey!" Ven said, pushing Roxas's blade aside. "You should be a little nicer to Aqua! For starters, she's my friend! Second of all, you should be more _polite_ to people in general. Third, Aqua is a Keyblade _Master_ and deserves a little respect!"

"Ven…" Aqua sighed. "That's not…"

"Aw, c'mon?" He flashed a smile at her. "What's the point of being a Master if you can't flaunt it around every now and then?"

"That's… not what Masters do, Ven…"

"Master Eraqus did it!"

"Well, yes, but- but we were his students and—"

"What's a… Keyblade Master?" Roxas interrupted.

Aqua looked up at him. "Well…" she began, slowly. She frowned. She'd never had to explain this before. But she'd also never met very many Keyblade wielders that weren't Terra or Ven or a master themselves. How would Master Eraqus put it?

"It's… someone who's mastered the art of the Keyblade—"

"Like Aqua!" Ven added.

"Ven, please," she sighed.

"Really?" Roxas made a face, considering that. "I didn't know it was an artform…"

"Well, everything is, in a way."

Roxas didn't seem convinced.

"I'm gonna be a Keyblade Master too someday, right Aqua?" Ven asked, grinning.

Aqua smiled at him, ruffling his hair. He grinned wider.

"Someday, I'm sure," she told him.

"What about me?" Roxas asked. "Could I be one?"

"Any Keyblade wielder certainly can," Aqua said. She looked him over, considering it. "You… definitely have the potential…" she mused, to herself.

And at the rate Roxas seemed to be able to learn things…

"Really?"

"It takes a lot of practice, though," Ven said. "Years and years of training."

Aqua nodded. She couldn't argue with that. She'd been training with the Keyblade since she was a child.

"Aw, I don't have time for that now," Roxas said. He didn't seem too disappointed, though. "I should get going—"

"What about the Heartless back in town?" Ven asked. "Do you want some help?"

"I can take care of them! Trust me! I got it." Roxas raised his hand in a partial wave, and then headed off.

"Do you… really think he could be a Keyblade Master?" Ven asked, once he was gone.

Aqua laughed a little. "Like I said, anyone with a Keyblade can become a Master. All they need is a strong heart." She looked over at him. "And, I don't know about you, but I'd imagine anyone who can wield two Keyblades has to have a strong heart, right?"

Ven just shrugged. "I wouldn't know."


	61. Extra Content 5: for Dead Inside ch212

This is extra content for chapter 212 of Dead Inside! Yay!

I know extra content has been sparse lately, but I often don't have enough content to make one chapter anymore. That's why so much extra content has ended up on the blog lately. I do plan, after I finish Dead Inside, to just upload all of my extra documents to Google Docs for your viewing pleasure. (I have one master extra doc and then a few others for large sequences like Disney Castle and Heckuvalong Raid-though surprisingly not one for endgame...)

* * *

><p><strong>~This snippet was scrapped because of flow issues, but it's pretty hilarious:<strong>

"Y'know even if you can't hurt her you could always be support," Sora said, sending a look over at his Shadow. "Like barriers and Cures—"

His Shadow broke him off mid-sentence. "Sora that's all _white magic_ and guess what I can't do?"  
>"Actually," Maleficent called, smugly. "I'm sure if he put his mind to it he could manage white magic just fine, considering the fact that he's absolutely <em>tainted <em>with light!"  
>"What?!" Sora turned so he could stare at his Shadow.<p>

"I'm _not_ tainted!" His Shadow hissed, all of his attention on Maleficent and venom in his voice.  
>"Then <em>prove it.<em>" Malficent smirked.

**~It continued from there**

**Xx**

**~this scene is technically canon, but there wasn't room for it in the chapter. Unfortunately**

Mickey launched himself over the railing and into the garden—or, he _would've,_ except a barrier went up before he'd made it into the garden. Unfortunately, he hit the barrier head-first, before falling to the ground.

"That wasn't nice!" Daisy called out at Maleficent.

Mickey rubbed his head and got to his feet, his eyes narrowing as he eyed the barrier. He summoned his Keyblade again, and brandished it, before thrusting it into the barrier.

**x**

**~The rest of this is super hecka old stuff from when I originally plotted this scene two years ago**

Sora was on the ground by this point, writhing in pain. He still clutched his Keyblade tightly, and as the darkness inside him grew worse, its shape slowly changed. It started cracking in places, certain parts falling off completely, thorns of darkness sprouted from nowhere and started wrapping their way around it.

"NO!" he shouted, eyes filled with terror. "I DON'T WANT TO GO! I refuse! The darkness won't- it won't-"

His will was fading fast. His form began to flicker, into dark mode, then out of it again. The darkness was working its way through him, slowly smothering him, consuming him.

He was almost gone-

"Hey!" someone shouted. Sora couldn't tell who, he was too disoriented. However, they broke Maleficent's concentration, which he was glad for. The darkness inside him was slowly receding.

"Listen, old lady, I'm not sure if you can even hear me, and I doubt that you can see me, but keep away from him!" the person continued.

Sora frowned, as he started to understand what they had just said. He pushed himself up, trying to get a good look at—

It was his Shadow.

His jaw dropped.

"This is _my_ job," his Shadow said, voice actually slightly angry. "And I'm not about to let you just do it for me. I live a very small existence, and _this_ is the only fun I get! I'm not gonna let you take that away from me!"

**xx**

"Silly boy," Maleficent laughed. "What if I could help you?"

Sora shied away from her touch and continued to struggle against the bonds that held him.

"OH please, I'm not falling for _that_ again!" he told her, bitterly. "Besides, I know now that the darkness isn't the strength I need!"

**xx**

**random quote: **

"OI!" Shad shouts "This is _my_ turf! I own this kid heart, mind and body, thank you! I don't want you and your little witchy powers messing with it!"

**Scene:**

He kicked Sora in the side.

"Get up!" he commanded.

Sora didn't move.

Angry, his Shadow clenched his hand into a fist and pulled upward. Like a puppet on strings, Sora clambered to his feet. His Shadow then tugged, and, obediently, Sora stumbled over to him.

"Kill her!" he ordered, nodding towards Maleficent.

"N-no!" Sora stuttered. "D-do it y-yourself!"

His Shadow chuckled bitterly.

"But I _can't_, see?" he said, irritably. "She's too dark. I couldn't do anything to hurt her. But if I had a bit of light…" He made a motion with his fingers, much like twisting some invisible string, and Sora drew his blade.

"No!" Sora shouted, trying to resist. But his body would no longer obey him. "I won't do it! You- you can't make me!"

"Sure I can," his Shadow said sweetly. "You hate her. I can feel it, all that bitterness burning in your heart. You want to get rid of her, don't you?"

"But not like _this!_" Sora gasped, starting to lose his control.

"Hate," his Shadow hissed, voice sly. "That's all it takes."

**Sometime during the battle:**

"You nearly killed me!" Sora shouted, rounding on his Shadow.

His Shadow frowned. "Well if you'd stop _resisting_ me, then your body would do what I told it to and we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Like I'd stop-"

"Get down!" his Shadow commanded, and forced Sora to the ground. A ball of dark energy flew through where he had just been. His Shadow quickly sidestepped, so the ball wouldn't hit him, instead.

"Whoa nelly!" he exclaimed.

**Xx**

Maleficent: I don't see why you're so upset. I'm merely doing what you've failed to do.

Shad: (offended) _failed!?_ There is a _method_ here!

Maleficent: obviously, not a very good one… you've allowed him to grow stronger

Shad: I _had_ to! _I_ only get stronger if _he_ does!

Maleficent: Are you saying you're not strong enough to take him!?

Shad: No!

Maleficent: Then do it, right now! Cast him into darkness!

Shad: Hell no! I'm not doing anything _you_ tell me to! Besides, you've drained him! That won't do _me_ any good! If I want to throw him into darkness, I want him to be pissed when I do, _not_ weak!

**~this conversation made an edited reappearance in ch184—Shad vs Maleficent in Neverland**


	62. (DI) Daggerang - ch195 from Joseph's POV

**A/N: **heeyyy, this is the long awaited Joseph and 29 feels from DIch195 that I kept meaning to convert from brainstorm to story format. There's actually not a lot. Whoops

If you wish you can watch me _write _this scene, instead of (or along with) reading it. The video + important notes from the video are on my blog.

* * *

><p>"No, I'm <em>telling<em> you it can work!" Joseph said, very furiously poking at the papers on the table, as if poking alone would change Cid's mind.

"An' I'm tellin' yeh it _won't!_" Cid replied, firmly. "It's too many extra parts an' it'll jus'—"

"29!" Joseph exclaimed, finally noticing him. He seemed excited at first, but then his face fell and he averted his eyes. "Oh. I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was going… I just figured I could get back for… y'know… you got worried about me and…" He shrugged. "I don't know…"

29 smiled a little. "Well, next time, just be sure to let me know where you're heading, alright?"

Joseph nodded. "Got it."

29 pulled up a chair next to Joseph. "So… what are you working on, anyway?"

"Oh!" Joseph lit up immediately, breaking into a grin. "Y'know how you said if I got myself a weapon, I could learn how to fight?" He didn't pause long enough for 29 to answer, just kept speaking. "Well, Cid's helping me work on a weapon design!"

"He's not takin' any of my advice, though!" Cid protested, raising his voice over Joseph's.

Joseph sent a small glare at him, not liking the interruption. It'd been at least the third time Cid had spoken over him.

"He's not?" 29 asked. He sounded surprised, but Joseph was suspicious that he was only _pretending_ to be surprised. 29 sent a stern look at Joseph—though Joseph suspected he was feigning that, too.

"Joseph," 29 continued. He didn't _sound _very stern. "Why aren't you taking Cid's advice?"

Joseph pouted. "He says it's not gonna work…"

"Now, why is that?" 29 turned his attention back to Cid. "And, uh, more importantly… _what _won't work?"

"He wants a boomerang-dagger hybrid," Cid explained, groaning a little. Joseph stuck out his tongue at him, but quickly stopped as 29 glanced at him.

"And how does the boomerang-dagger hybrid work?" 29 asked.

"Here, look!" Joseph pointed at his drawings. "The boomerang folds in half to form a dagger! Easy-peasy lemon squeeze-y! It's not as hard as Cid's making it out to be."

Cid sent a glare at Joseph. "Well, in _concept, _no, it's hard. But in _practice—_well." He looked up at 29. "I can't think of anythin' that'll make it work like he wants it too."

"Really?" If 29 hadn't been surprised before, he was definitely surprised now. "Surely there's some sort of… gear mechanism or… or _something _that would allow the boomerang to fold."

"It's not getting' it the fold tha's the problem," Cid said. "It's makin' sure it doesn't fold on acciden'. Yeh wouldn't wan'it foldin' up mid-flight, would'yeh?"

"That's why you need a latch or something!" Joseph protested. He nearly launched himself across the table in his excitement, but 29 caught him and set him back down in his chair.

"Yeh can't mess with a latch in the middle of battle, though!" Cid replied, raising his voice a little. He pounded his fist against the table, finalizing the statement.

**And that's kinda all I had for the scene. I don't even remember why I wanted to convert this. I mean yeah ~Joseph and 29 feels~ but this is so so short.**

**They basically argue for a little more until it picks back up in Dead Inside with:**

"You're making this _way_ more complicated than—" Joseph began.

"Lissen," Cid said, over him. "I'll see wha' I can do 'bout it, bu' I don' think I can do much!"

"Cid, did it ever occur to you that maybe this is out of your expertise?" Aerith laughed.

"Well, I dunno where he's supposed to find an _actual_ weapon's specialist!" Cid retorted. "An' there's no guarantee he's gunna be able to get what he wants for cheap, either!"

"Well—" Joseph began.

"Thank you, anyway," 29 said, over him. "It is really nice of you to help him out on this."

"Yeah…" Joseph sighed. "Thank you."

"Yer welcome," Cid muttered.


	63. (DI) The Death of Larxene L (orig draft)

**A/N:** this is sort of the original draft for Dead Inside ch222. I mean I guess it IS the original draft, but it differs not only in minor continuity/flow changes but also in the fact that it has a completely different ending

please note it was written in 2012

* * *

><p>"You're being mean."<p>

L scowled, then pulled her walkie-talkie out of her belt.

"Shouldn't _you_ be working?" she hissed.

There was a pause.

"I thought _you_ wanted to help," 37 replied, his voice staticy through the walkie-talkie.

L rolled her eyes.

"What do you think I'm doing right now?"

"You're torturing the poor girl."

L grimaced and threw a glance back at Namine. Namine clutched the shred of Riku's shirt tighter, but didn't do anything else.

"She's not talking," L muttered, bitterly.

37 was silent for a moment.

"Why not try a different tactic?" he said, finally.

"You think I can't do this, don't you?" L demanded, her voice furious.

Namine quickly covered up a snort.

"I just don't want you getting hurt," 37 explained calmly. "And if Riku shows up and you're still doing that he will kill you in a heartbeat! I don't want to lose you!"

L stood there, stunned. She swallowed a few times.

Namine nearly puked.

"What do you suggest I do?" L asked, finally.

37 sighed.

"I'll give you fifteen minutes. Do whatever you want. But if you don't get anywhere before your time is up, I want you out of there. We'll Rewrite Namine then with the basic coding that we already wrote, and we can go through her memories and add finer details later, okay?"

L nodded, stiffly.

"Yeah."

"Don't do anything stupid."

Namine swallowed.

Fifteen minutes.

She had _fifteen_ minutes.

And suddenly, she was scared.

The chances of Riku coming to rescue her in fifteen minutes seemed slim.

She brought the shred of his shirt to her face, tracing it against her skin, breathing in its scent.

It felt like him.

It smelled like him.

Her heart turned in her chest; her stomach churned.

She wasn't going to see him again.

L turned back to her and sighed.

"Well, you heard the man," she said. "You have fifteen minutes. You gonna talk?"

Namine let out a strangled sob.

Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"What does it matter?" she asked miserably, her voice choked. She drew her knees to her chest. "You're going to Rewrite me anyway. How does telling you anything change that? Besides, I don't know anything!"

"Aw! Is lil Namine upset?" L taunted. "Is she scared of being Rewritten?"

"How would you feel!?" Namine shouted, glaring up at her. "How would you feel if you were in my place!? Think about it for a minute! How would you feel if you were about to be Rewritten? Wouldn't you be scared?"

L rolled her eyes and pointedly looked away.

"Right… we're not getting anywhere," L sighed, reaching for her walkie-talkie. Namine snatched it from her before she could say anything, though, and threw it across the room.

"You can Rewrite me! I don't care!" she said, voice shaking. "But I want you to understand how much this _hurts_! I am _never_ going to see Riku again! _Never_! I'm never- never going to see him smile, never- never going to hear him laugh, I-" She stopped, anger spent, despair rising within her again. She held the shred of his shirt tightly to her chest. "I'll never feel his arms around me again…" she breathed, almost not wanting to believe it. "Never feel his warm embrace…. How- how could I be okay with that? Would- wouldn't you be upset?"

L scoffed.

"Don't be stupid! Of course you'll see him again!"

Namine laughed, bitterly.

"Yeah. And one of us isn't coming out of that alive."

L stared.

"Do you get it now?" Namine asked. "I'm walking to my death!"

"Who said you're not going to be the one who makes it out of that battle?" L said.

"If I _am, _I hope I have the sense to kill myself right afterwards! Besides, I'm dying no matter what! Because when you Rewrite me, who I am right _now_ is going to be shot down and replaced by someone else!"

L grimaced and then chucked a knife at Namine. "Stop making me feel sorry for you!"

The knife missed her by an inch.

Namine winced and turned away, tears clouding her vision.

Her time had to be up by now.

She was going to be Rewritten…

And then she'd never see-

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned, confused, and then her heart leapt in her chest at the sight.

It was Riku.

She nearly laughed in relief, but he held a finger to his lips, urging her to be quiet. She quickly stifled the laugh.

'Should I kill her?' Riku mouthed.

Namine replied by making a big show of wiping her eyes.

"Haha, very funny," L said, glaring. "I get it. Trying to make me feel sorry for you so that I'd think twice about Rewriting you. Well tough luck! It didn't- ah!"

She glanced down in horror, finding Riku's blade through her chest. Her eyes went wide with fury.

"You!" she gasped. "You son of a-"

She was gone.

Namine, not hesitating one second, threw her arms around Riku, nearly knocking him over in the process. He staggered for a second, trying to support both of their weight.

"Riku!" she exclaimed, though it came out more like something between a laugh and a sob.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"Hey," he whispered.

She buried her face in his chest, taking a few deep breaths. It was all a bit overwhelming. Mere minutes ago, she had thought for sure she'd never see him again, that she'd never feel his embrace, and now here she was: in his arms.

And everything was okay.

"I- I was so scared," she stuttered, wanting to tell Riku how she felt, even though those feelings didn't matter anymore. "I- I thought for sure that you weren't going to make it in time, that- that they were going to Rewrite me, and-"

"Shh," he told her, running a hand through her hair. "It's alright. I'm here. You're safe now."

She nodded. She hadn't doubted those things, but they seemed much more comforting now that he had said them.

There was _one_ thing that bothered her, though.

"Are- are you sure I'm safe?" she asked. "C- can't they still Rewrite me?"

Riku chuckled.

"They didn't notice?" He sounded shocked. "They couldn't have Rewritten you! We locked them out of the Program. You're safe." He paused, and then added: "Well… you're safe as long as Vexen listened to me and changed the password from the absolutely obvious one that he had it set as originally."

Namine laughed at that, and soon, Riku was laughing too.

She squeezed him. He squeezed her back.

She sighed.

"Don't let go of me," she whispered.

"Okay," he replied, holding her tighter. "I won't."

And she was pretty sure he wouldn't, either. However, in their silence, they could hear a rather staticy and upset sounding voice coming through L's discarded walkie-talkie.

"Should we see what 37 wants?" Namine asked.

"I thought you didn't want me to let go of you," Riku replied.

She laughed.

"I don't. But… staying in your arms forever isn't entirely realistic, is it?"

"I wish it was," he muttered, but let go of her anyway. He sighed, smiled, then went to pick up the walkie-talkie.

He grimaced.

37 was cursing profusely.

"OI!" he said, loudly. "Who are you cursing at!?"

"You! You filthy-"

Riku winced and held the walkie-talkie well away from his ear.

"Sheesh. Someone isn't happy with me," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Don't blame him," Namine said,

"S'pose not. Guess I should've thought this one through, though." Riku shrugged and started to speak into the walkie-talkie again, then paused and shook his head. "Nah, I'll wait til he's done cursing."

Namine laughed.

They waited another minute or so, and then Riku asked:

"Are you done yet?"

"I'll Rewrite her!" was 37's reply. "I'll Rewrite her right now!"

Riku laughed.

"Go ahead and try! You're locked out of the program."

There was silence for a moment.

"You're bluffing," 37 said.

"Am not! Go ahead and try! I mean it!"

The faint sound of keystrokes was the only sound on 37's end for a moment.

Then 37 swore.

"Thought so!" Riku told him, grinning.

There was another gap of silence. Riku raised his eyebrows. Namine frowned.

"Is he… crying?"

Riku shrugged.

"You- you'll pay!" 37 said finally, and his voice _did_ sound like it was choked with tears. "Somehow! You- you'll- why did you kill her!?"

"She was being annoying," Riku replied simply.

"But you didn't have to kill her!"

Riku frowned.

"Namine was crying."

"Only because she was upset about being Rewritten and the thought she'd never see you again!"

Riku turned to Namine.

"Is that true?"

She nodded.

"L- L wasn't helping matters, though," she said, voice small. "She kept taunting me."

Riku nodded, curtly, then said to 37:

"And who was threatening to Rewrite Namine?"

37 stopped short.

Riku scowled.

"No one threatens my Namine and lives," he said, firmly.

"Are you going to kill me then, too?" 37 asked after a moment.

"Not necessarily," Riku replied. "I don't have much of a fight to pick with you. So unless you come pick a fight with me, you could very well make it out of this mess alive."

37 was silent for a moment.

"Leave the walkie-talkie where you found it," he said, roughly.

The line went dead.


	64. (DI) Security Footage

I don't know how I never uploaded this or anything, but this is a not-entirely-canon scene that takes place ties in with ch133 (Riku having nightmares and Namine hold him). I understand why I scrapped it, because Vexen snoping on Riku (even with good intentions) is... y'know... something that didn't exactly _need_ to be in Dead Inside

but I was reading it again and I realized that it actually provides an interesting look at the relationship between Vexen and Riku (or Vexen's opinion _towards _Riku?) and some of the events of Chain of Memories according to my canon so. Yeah.

Enjoy

* * *

><p><strong><em>((For clarification, Vexen was initially just going through the footage to make sure Riku had deleted everything that happened around ch129 from record. I forget why he wanted to do that, or if he mentioned it in Dead Inside - though I <em>****do ****_believe it was mentioned somewhere in the Ienzo sequence.))_**

He shouldn't have needed to ask to know that there would be a computer with access to surveillance footage on the 13th Floor. So, of course, when he heard that the computer was up there, he merely formed a dark corridor around himself and was there. Because, sure enough, it was in the same place in this universe as it was in the other, much like other things.

The room looked almost identical to the one in the other the universe. This room, however, was a bit more… no, _less_ cluttered. And… smoother? The computers in this universe looked a lot nicer, that was for certain, they always had. He was beginning to suspect that the advances in technology that this universe had were probably the reason behind the success of the Replica Program.

Oh, there was one other difference. A certain screen that showed a camera feed from floor twelve _wasn't_ shattered in it due to having someone's fist shoved through it out of anger. There was also one camera feed that was dead, but… when Vexen looked to see what room and floor it was linked to, he only smiled. _That_ was the same camera that was always off, way back when, no matter how many times they tried to fix it. Riku would make sure that camera was off and _stayed _off, _always._ He'd also gone through the trouble of having other cameras shut themselves off periodically, so that it wasn't the only camera was off, and so when he didn't want to be found, he couldn't be found.

And that worked, until Vexen noticed that this one camera was _always_ off, and had been stupid enough to mention it. The room that had become Riku's haven had suddenly stopped being so, and had just become another room in the Castle that had bad memories. And yet, Riku would still retreat to it, every time…

_Every. _Blasted. Time.

Vexen shook his head and went over to the computer. He started to swap the format of the camera system from list mode to map mode (which he found easier to use), only to find it wouldn't let him do that. Apparently that feature didn't exist here. He sighed and started searching through the list until he found the room he was looking for. Sure enough, it lacked footage for the past day or so. The last thing the camera had recorded was Riku stumbling into the room, looking a bit confused, before the screen cut to black. He took note of the timestamp, and then went to the next camera and rewound to the same time. He wasn't surprised to find no footage. He skipped ahead until the footage began again.

Seven hours later.

Vexen frowned slightly. Seven hours seemed like a bit much. But, Riku could've easily been extremely paranoid and deleted a lot more than he needed to. Vexen moved on to the next camera feed.

The process was long and boring. There was absolutely nothing to find – which Vexen supposed was a good thing. He was probably going to end up deleting anything he found anyway. But he almost couldn't help but feel disappointed. He'd wanted to find something. He'd wanted…

Realizing something, Vexen slowly turned and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a camera there, though it was awfully hard to see it. He turned back to the computer and slowly navigated his way to the footage for this room. He rewound the footage until he saw Riku—

Collapsed on the ground, Namine hovering worriedly over him.

Vexen quickly rewound the footage some more, wondering – but horrified to find out – what had happened. He stopped when he saw Riku and Namine hugging, where Riku looked absolutely fine. He moved forward in the footage until Riku returned to the computer. He still looked fine. He was clicking away, sorting through the footage.

And then, suddenly, Riku froze. Vexen could see him shaking slightly. He stared at the screen, intently, watching as Riku reached up and clutched his head, only to bend over from pain moments later. What was going on?

Riku mumbled something he couldn't quite make out, but it sounded like something along the lines of "stop".

"Riku?" Namine's voice was clear, and Vexen could certainly see her move closer to Riku. He couldn't see her face, but he had no doubt that she looked worried.

"You- you don't-" Riku gasped, his voice slurred.

"Riku, what's wrong?" Namine interrupted, and grabbed Riku by the arm.

"We- we need to-"

But Riku didn't finish his sentence. An angered scream left his lips, though it was also slurred, and he suddenly collapsed. Namine eased him onto the ground, though it seemed to take her some effort to do so.

"Riku?" she asked. "Riku, tell me what's wrong!"

Riku didn't answer. Vexen watched as Namine shook him, continued to call his name. His worries about Riku were quickly replaced with surprise towards Namine's actions. He'd hardly ever seen the two interact, and even though he knew the two were close, he didn't…

He never…

He would never have assumed, right off the bat, that Namine had the capacity to be as worried about Riku as he knew Riku could get worried about her. But the way she continued to shake Riku, take Riku's face in her hands, continued to call his name—she was downright scared that something was wrong with him.

Vexen was worried about what had happened to Riku, too, but he knew that Riku was obviously okay. He'd seen him, up and about, only a few hours ago. Even so, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen, as he watched Namine desperately try and get Riku to wake up.

Finally, her attempts were fruitful.

"What… happened…?" Riku croaked. Vexen couldn't see his face. Namine was in the way.

"You collapsed," Namine explained. Even though she still sounded worried, she also seemed relieved. "Blacked out for a second, too. Are you okay?"

Riku tried to push himself up, but stopped after a moment.

"Yes," he said. "I'm… tired."

"Maybe you could use some sleep," Namine suggested.

Riku argued, but Namine was stubborn—had she always been this stubborn?—and eventually convinced him that sleep was a good idea. The two of them left. Vexen continued to stare at the screen, though.

He wasn't sure what to think. The fact that Namine was so worried about Riku—had the other Namine ever been so worried about him? He didn't need to think hard before he came to his answer: no. This was something new. Something he had only seen this Namine do.

He glanced at the timestamp for the footage. Slowly, knowing he probably shouldn't, he navigated his way through the system until he was at Riku's room. He worked his way towards the timestamp, backwards (as he had to), with each click thinking that he really shouldn't be doing this. That he _really_ shouldn't be eavesdropping.

His thoughts were drowned when Riku screamed. A chill went through his body; he knew that scream all too well, and was almost surprised not to hear Larxene's laughter accompanying it. Guilt surged through him, but it was drowned by shock when Namine climbed into Riku's bed and wrapped her arms around him, not even hesitating. She held him close, arms around his waist, her chin resting near his shoulder.

Vexen stared. This was certainly something else he'd only seen this Namine do. Of course, he wasn't actually _positive_ that only she had done this, but it seemed likely. She didn't even hesitate, either, and that was more surprising. The moment Riku started screaming, she was crawling into bed with him, cradling him close to her to calm him down.

He stopped the footage.

He shouldn't have looked.

Private. It was private.

But he couldn't get the image out of his mind. Namine didn't even seem bothered. She'd acted like it was completely natural, calming Riku like that, _holding_ him like that. Had it happened before?

Vexen wasn't sure what to think about that.


	65. (F t P) SoKai badmouthing Maleficent

(Lazy chapter title is lazy-don't expect anything more from me from now on though haha)

So someone on tumblr (user rakatakat actually) mentioned Destiny Islands having a native tongue, which you've probably seen if you follow either my tumblr or have checked the DIch237 blog or... any of the blog recently (before August 18 2014, if you're reading this at a later date)

anyway I got _really super inspired _about the idea, and in one of my rants about it, I mentioned Sora and Kairi "badmouthing Maleficent" back in Falling to Pieces, using Destiny Islands native tongue, of course. That's how this scene was born.

As a note, their native tongue is probably never going to make an appearance in story. (It's a little late for that... unfortunately), but you can basically assume that if Sora and Kairi are ever talking alone (or if it's Sora/Kairi/Riku), they're using Destiny Islands native tongue  
>(Namine can sorta speak it, if you're curious, but she hasn't had more than a year of practice with it. Riku however, can speak it just fine, between having Real Thing's memories and other reasons)<p>

* * *

><p>All children born and raised on Destiny Islands grew up learning two languages. Common, of course, because how else were they supposed to communicate with the frequent tourists or other visitors. The other language they learned was native to their island, and Kairi still had yet to hear it spoken anywhere else. Frankly, she was quite glad of that, because that meant she could talk to Sora without any actually <em>risk <em>of being overheard. Even if someone did stumble on their argument, they wouldn't be able to make sense of it unless they were a Destiny Islands native.

(Conversely, Kairi was also quite glad she'd been raised speaking Common tongue, too. Traveling between other worlds would've been near impossible otherwise.)

"She's a _witch,_" Kairi hissed. Not that she needed to. Again, even if Maleficent _did _overhear them, she wouldn't be able to make any sense of the conversation. "I don't trust her!"

Sora sent her a sidelong look. It might as well been a glare, for all the hostility there was behind it. "I don't trust her, either," he replied, not taking care to keep his face anywhere near as quiet. It really was a good thing they could discuss these sorts of things in Destiny Islands' native tongue. "But we don't exactly have another choice, do we?"

"We could _go home!_"

Sora stopped walking entirely. Kairi stopped, too, and turned around to look at him. His body was tense, and his lips drawn back in a slight snarl. Kairi cringed at the sight of it, but tried not to turn away. Even as ugly as the snarl was, she wasn't—wouldn't be!—scared of him. She knew Sora better than she knew herself. Didn't she?

"Home is _lost,_" he said. There was no attempt to hide his sharp tones, now. "You were there that night. You _saw _it just as well as I did!"

"I saw you swallowed by the darkness!" Kairi shouted. She took a step forward, and jabbed Sora in the chest. She wasn't scared of him, she was just _angry._ "Are you sure it hasn't tainted you, huh? Would you even know if it did?"

She wanted a rise out of him. She wanted his voice to crack, wanted to hear that he was upset and that her words had really stung. He responded with a cold anger, though, shoving her away from him with more strength than he usually had. Her heart plummeted at the sight of it, the feel of it.

"I'm _fine, _Kairi," Sora said. He didn't even sound exasperated.

Kairi chewed her lip for a second, forced the tears back from her eyes. "I want to go _home, _Sora!" she yelled. "I want to go _home, _and I'm tired of dealing with Maleficent! She's _foul, _and I don't—"

"And what are you two talking about?"

Kairi nearly jumped out of her skin, and the words evaporated in her mouth. She ran the conversation in her head again, half-fearing she'd spoken in Common at least once, and of course that the worst moment. She had to remind herself that Maleficent couldn't have _possibly _understood any of the conversation, minus the fact that Kairi'd spoken her name.

"Well, uh, we- we…" Sora cleared his throat. It relieved Kairi greatly to see he'd gone very pale. "We were… uhm…"

"I was just asking Sora when we were going to go home," Kairi said, saving him (not that her voice didn't squeak as she spoke). He'd never been good on the spot like this. Better she said something, though, than have him stammer some nonsense that got them in trouble.

Sora sent her a look, another half-glare. It was clear his confidence had returned to him when he spoke. "And I was trying to explain to her that we'll go home as soon as I've finished here."

Kairi's eyes narrowed. She sent a hesitant look up at Maleficent. "He still hasn't made a very convincing argument as to _why _he wants stay, though," she mumbled.

"He's going to save your world, and all the others," Maleficent said, in that great sweeping voice of hers. She paused a moment, likely for dramatic effect or something stupid like that. "But of course, he needs _my _help for that."

Sora nodded, like he fully believed her. Kairi almost burst out laughing. _Save _the worlds? Pah. Couldn't he see that Maleficent was just leading him along on a string? Glory, and heroics—all the things he wanted as a child. If he thought he could get them through Maleficent, he can't have been thinking clearly. Maybe the darkness really had tainted him… or… or Maleficent. She was a witch, after all.

"Exactly, Kai," Sora said. Kairi shivered at his use of her nickname, when said with _that _tone. "I'm not finished here."

Kairi huffed with annoyance, and would've stormed off then and there, had she not feared turning her back on Maleficent. Instead, she waited for the witch to leave. With the way Maleficent's cloaks trailed behind her, it almost make her look like she was gliding across the floor. The perfect picture of a powerful sorceress from the fairytales. Why couldn't Sora see he had no reason to believe anything she told him?

"You aren't gonna get any glory, working with her," Kairi said. She pushed past Sora as she spoke, and then headed off, headed for her room. She tried to look confident as she walked away, not rushed, not worried. She feared the confidence didn't look very convincing though. She doubted that, even if it did, it would fool Sora. He knew her too well.

Just like she knew him.


	66. (DI) ch87 Lonely Girl original draft

**A/N: **the original draft of Dead Inside ch87. Chapter 87 was later rewritten to fix up continuity things.

* * *

><p>"Kairi, I know you don't like leftover night, but you're looking <em>extremely <em>downtrodden tonight," her father, a man with hair just as red as hers, said. He finished rinsing off his plate and turned to look at her. "What's up?"

Kairi sighed, stirring her cereal around in her bowl. It had gone soggy ages ago, and was now only serving as something to occupy her hands with. Her stomach was complaining to her, but she didn't really have the energy to find something else to eat.

She _really_ didn't like leftover night.

"I'm okay, Dad," she said.

He pulled a chair away from the table and sat down across from her. She threw a glance up at him, watching as he folded his arms across the table and rested his chin on them.

He looked up at her.

"Is something happening in school?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Got a large amount of homework tonight?"

She shook her head again.

Her dad made a face.

"What about the school dance coming up? Aren't you excited for that?"

"Not going," she replied, spooning up a few pieces of cereal and letting them fall back into her bowl. She didn't look at her dad.

"Not going!" he exclaimed, sitting up straight. "But you told Selphie-"

"I only told Selphie that I was going so that she'd leave me alone," Kairi muttered, stirring her cereal around some more. "I'm not going without Sora."

Silence passed for a moment. Then her father pushed himself to his feet.

"Grab your coat," he said, taking her bowl from her. "We're getting ice cream."

**xxx**

Approximately ten minutes later Kairi and her dad were sitting in the surprisingly empty ice cream shop. Kairi had her suspicions that her dad might've had something to do with that. He was the mayor, after all. He could've easily requested that no one else be allowed in.

"So why aren't you going to the school dance?" her dad asked, again.

She sighed and scooped up a spoonful of her ice cream. "Because it wouldn't be the same without Sora," she muttered, eyeing her spoonful of ice cream with perhaps _too_ much interest.

Her dad didn't say anything right away.

She glanced up at him, shocked.

"_Please_ tell me you remember who Sora is!"

He laughed, almost nervously. "Of course I do, princess! He's your best friend. The two of you played together all the time when you were kids." He frowned then. "I… I haven't seen him in a while, though… Did you get in a fight with him or something?"

Kairi bit her lip.

"Dad, Sora hasn't been here for the past four months," she whispered.

Her dad's frown deepened.

"Really? How have I not-"

"Don't worry about it," she sighed, taking a bite of her ice cream. "You're not the only one who hasn't noticed that he's gone. No one's noticed. It's like no one remembers he even was here in the first place."

"Where'd he go?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"

"Try me."

Kairi sighed. There was no point trying to avoid the subject. Her dad would somehow squeeze it out of her eventually.

Besides… she hated not being able to talk to anyone about it…

"He's in another world," she said, quietly.

"That would explain it," her dad mused, casually taking a bite of his ice cream. "Some people, namely; the ones who don't know of other Worlds, tend to forget about something once it crosses the World's border and remains away for a while."

Kairi stared.

"What?" her dad asked, raising his eyebrows.

"_You _know about other Worlds?"

"I'd be a pretty lousy mayor if I didn't."

Kairi laughed, a laugh that was of both disbelief and relief at the same time. She leaned back in her chair, still staring at her dad. He chuckled and took another bite of ice cream.

"You seem surprised," he said.

"_Surprised?_" She laughed again. "Dad, I've spent the past month avoiding everyone because they all ask what's wrong and I can't actually tell them the truth because I know they won't believe me! You don't understand how much of a relief it is to finally have someone to talk to!"

"I would've asked you about this sooner, princess, but work's kept me really busy."

"It's okay, Dad," she said, taking another bite of her ice cream.

And then she smiled.

_Truly_ smiled.

**xxx**

"Damn… she has such a wonderful smile…" Sora's Shadow whispered.

He was sitting on the other side of the ice cream shop. He didn't really have anything better to do with his time. He started to summon his chains, but then thought better of it. They were inside, after all, and there was a high chance he might actually hit something. Plus, the little old lady who ran the ice cream shop kept throwing suspicious glances his way. (This was partially his fault; he _had_ moved the chair he was sitting in twice now).

_ Why can't she smile like that more often?_ he thought with a sigh.

_ Oh, wait, because she's too busy being depressed about Sora. Even though NOTHING bad has happened to him._

_ …_

_ I really should fix that…_

"So… if Sora's in another World," her dad said, slowly, scraping up the last of his ice cream from the bottom of the bowl and eating it. "Does that mean Riku is, too?"

She nodded, taking a bite of her own ice cream. She was only about halfway done with it.

"He's been gone as long as Sora has."

"What about Namine?"

"Left a couple weeks ago."

"And she left you behind!?" Her dad sounded genuinely surprised about this. "How are you not upset about that?"

She shrugged.

"I couldn't just leave without letting you know, and she left rather suddenly," she explained.

"Spare the excuses," Sora's Shadow muttered, rolling his eyes. "You and I both know you're upset about this. No bother trying to tell your dad otherwise."

Kairi threw a glance his way, her smile fading slightly.

He bit his lip.

"You okay, princess?" her dad asked.

She turned back to him, and quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine!"

Her dad slowly set his bowl aside. He folded his hands together and rest them on the table, then looked at her, eyebrows raised, not believing her one bit. There was worry clearly etched on his face.

"Kairi," he said. "You don't have to lie to me."

She scowled. "I'm not lying!" she snapped, and then clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.

Sora's Shadow sat up straight.

_ Bitterness._

_ That was one hell of a ton of bitterness._

_ And I did NOT touch it!_

"Dad, I didn't mean that!" she gasped. "I don't know where that came from!"

"Princess, tell me what's wrong…"

She dropped her spoon into her bowl and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know," she said, voice shaking. "Nothing's been alright ever since Namine left. I mean, I'm not mad at her for leaving. I know she wants to be where Riku is, and I'm okay with that, I just- I just don't know! I don't know anymore!" Her voice quickly rose to a shout, and she pounded a fist against the table. "I don't know what to do, I don't know what's happening, I don't even know if he's okay or not!"

Her dad grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"Sora's a smart kid. I'm sure he can take care of himself-" He frowned, that last word catching in his throat. Kairi was biting back tears.

"Princess?"

"He fell into _darkness,_ dad!" she said, voice choked.

"_Sora?_" he asked, in disbelief. "No way!"

"_Yes_ way! He- he just gave himself up to the darkness! And- and I… I couldn't stop him."

Sora's Shadow leaned forward in his chair slightly.

_ Guilt._

_ I wonder…_

He reached out, gently taking a hold of Kairi's guilt and tugging it ever-so-slightly. To his surprise, she actually responded. She whimpered slightly and then collapsed into tears. He quickly pulled away.

_ That… worked…?_

_ I thought she was too bright for me to touch._

_ And yet…_

_ Her heart is tainted by darkness._

A small smile played on his lips.

A smile that quickly fell.

Something was pulling at his chest, turning in his chest, _screaming_ in his chest. He grimaced, not liking the feeling all too much. It actually kind of… hurt…

He didn't like pain.

_ What the HELL!?_

_ What is this!?_

He scowled. Then in a flash of rather frantic (though completely unnoticed) darkness he left.

"Here you go sweetheart," the ice cream shop owner said, placing another bowl of ice cream in front of Kairi. She slowly looked up and shakily took a bite.

Kairi's dad frowned at the ice cream shop owner.

"Thank you, but-" he began.

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's on the house."

Kairi swallowed, wiping her tears away.

"T-thank you."

The ice cream shop owner smiled. "No problem," she said, patting Kairi on the back and then heading back to the kitchen. "You're such a bright girl, Kairi. I can't stand to see you cry."

Kairi merely nodded.

_If I'm so bright, though…_ she thought, bitterly, taking another bite of ice cream.

_ Then why couldn't I save him?_

Kairi's dad opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but then decided against it. She was already upset enough. He really didn't want to make matters worse.

He took her bowl of unfinished ice cream and started eating it, and they spent most of the rest of the night in silence.

**xxx**

Sora's Shadow slowly picked up a rock out of the water, running his fingers over the smooth surface a few times. The tugging at his chest had stopped, much to his relief. He wasn't quite sure what it had been in the first place, but he was more than happy to have it be gone.

He was _ecstatic_, actually.

Somehow, he had managed to touch Kairi's heart; a heart that should've been too bright for him to touch.

A heart ridden with guilt…

A heart tainted by darkness…

He laughed, and then chucked the rock out to sea. It skipped across the surface once or twice, before disappearing under the water.

"Maybe I haven't been wasting my time with her," he said to himself, smirking slightly. "Obviously, the darkness wasn't there until recently." He chuckled. "Heh, maybe I'm poisoning her."

He picked up another rock, tossing this one between his hands.

"Poisoning her! Hah! Like my darkness, my entire existence, is somehow having a negative effect on her! Wouldn't that be wonderful? I doubt that's even possible!" He chucked the rock, and then quickly sent out a strand of darkness to catch it. The rock froze in mid-air, held there by his darkness. He pulled it back to him, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Then again…" he whispered, catching the rock. "I did manage to touch her heart, _and_ I toyed with her guilt. I wouldn't have been able to do that if she _wasn't_ poisoned."

He grinned.

"I've poisoned her!" He shouted to the sky, sudden excitement flooding through him.

He couldn't help it.

Because of what his existence was, being pure darkness and all, the thought of poisoning a light, a very _bright_ light, was… well, thrilling. And the fact that he had, somehow, done so? He couldn't have been happier.

Except-

Something was tugging at his chest again.

His excitement was quickly fading.

His fist tightened around the rock.

Very slowly, he placed his free hand over his chest.

"Is that… a heart?"

He swallowed, and then laughed to himself.

"Can't be! I can't have a heart! It's impossible!"

He dropped the rock and then in a flash of darkness, he was gone.


	67. (F t P) Riku vs Maleficent

**AN/** this was written as if to be a memory file viewed from one of Castle Oblivion's (or, I suppose, TWTNW's) computers. I had a lot of fun writing it in this format, actually. Who's viewing this file? No clue. Probably Vexen, being as snoopy as he is.

* * *

><p>FILE: "10.26.2011 - 13:50:09".mem (SPECIFICATION: FTPCH27)<p>

RECOVERED: September 6th, 2014

WARNING: THIS MEMORY MAY BE UNSTABLE. DO YOU WISH TO PROCEED?

**-Yes.**

* * *

><p><em>"Get back down! Struggling is only going to make this worse."<em>

_A shrill laugh._

_Unbelievable pain._

* * *

><p>"Who are you?" Riku asked sharply. Though, it was a sort of pointless question. He already knew that this was Maleficent. How? Well, <em>that<em> he didn't know. There was something just nagging at the back of his mind.

"You must be Riku," Maleficent said, trying to sound pleasant. Riku nearly laughed at that. "I'm afraid you're too late, though. Any moment now, the final Keyhole will be unsealed, and this world will be plunged into darkness."

"Look," Riku said. "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't have time for this. Just tell me where Sora is."

Maleficent laughed. "I don't think you'll need to be worrying about that."

Riku scowled. "Seriously, you really don't want to be in my way at the moment. Just tell me where Sora is. I don't care one bit about what you want to do, but if you're going to be in my way, I _might_ just have to kill you."

"You think you can defeat me?" Maleficent asked. "Me, the Mistress of all Evil?"

Riku groaned, and pulled his blade. He did _not_ have time for this.

* * *

><p><em>"See, just as I said it would be, is it not?"<em>

_He tried not to shudder at the witch's—Maleficent's—touch on his shoulder._

_"Sora's new friends are more important to him than you are."_

But the memory wasn't his. It was…

* * *

><p>"Tell me where Sora is!" Riku demanded, jumping out of the way of one of Malficent's blasts of magic. He wasn't quite sure what magic it was. Meteor, probably, or… something like that. Something dark.<p>

Malficent laughed, sharp and shrill. "Like I'd do that, you insignificant fool! He's bringing our plans to fruition, and I won't let you stop us!"

Riku grit his teeth together.

* * *

><p><em>"Maleficent? Come on Sora, that's got bad idea written all over it."<em>

_"Does it? She's helping me, Riku. Helping me, unlike how you refused to."_

_"You never asked!"_

_"Well, why should I? You never wanted _my_ help. Why should I want yours?"_

* * *

><p>Maleficent stuck to a basic pattern. Stand in one spot and throw spells—very <em>large <em>and very _powerful _spells—at him. When he got too close, she'd teleport away.

It wasn't necessarily hard, it was just infuriating.

_At least she's staying in one spot long enough for me to land more than just a few blows on her, _Riku thought. He glanced around, waiting for her to reappear again. She'd have to sooner or later. She always did.

There!

He readied his blade, rushed at her. She raised her staff. Bolts of lightning rained down from the sky.

* * *

><p><em>"I said stay down! You just LOVE making things more miserable for yourself, don't you?"<em>

_"P-Please, I didn't…"_

_"SHUT UP! Shouldn't you have learned that already, too?"_

* * *

><p>Riku stumbled, jolting away from one bolt of lightning, then another. The hairs on his skin burned. Terror gripped at his chest.<p>

_It's just a little lightning! Pull yourself together!_

He picked up his blade again, channeling his fear and turning it into anger, into fury. He ran at Maleficent again, slashing through one blast of darkness to dissipate it, ducking under a second, aiming his blade at her chest.

He sliced clean through her.

She staggered backwards.

"No!" she screamed. "I will not allow you to foil this! Insignificant boy!"

* * *

><p><em>"Pathetic, worthless toy!"<em>

* * *

><p>"Tell me where Sora is, and I might spare you," Riku said, laughing. "Come on, I've wasted enough time already."<p>

Maleficent turned to him, clutching her chest and leaning against her staff to support her weight. She looked about ready to collapse. The sight brought a smile to Riku's face.

"Well?" he said. "I'm waiting."

Maleficent growled, then leaned back, raising her staff and swirling it in a complicated pattern. "Strike him down!" she commanded, swinging her staff to point at him.

Riku heard the sky crack above him, and jumped back out of the way of the first bolt of lightning. He jumped right into the second. It hit him between the shoulders, and he fell forward, the world blurring around him.

* * *

><p><em>"I told you to stay down, didn't I?"<em>

_A hard kick was placed to his side, sending him rolling onto his back. He groaned, coughed, grimacing at the iron taste of blood in his mouth. He didn't try to get up this time._

_A foot was placed to his chest, a weight put on him._

_"Well, had enough yet? You going to apologize or not?"_

_Larxene's face came into view. Green eyes, glinting with malice, but lips curved up in a smile. Lightning danced between her fingers, and she played with it idly, her attention fixed on him._

_"I- I didn't- d-_do _anyth—ah!"_

_She kicked him again, grinding her heel into his chest._

_"Liar!" she spat. "You d—"_

* * *

><p>ERROR.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"I- I didn't!"<em>

_"You really thinking I'm gonna let up if you keep lying to me like that? If you do, you're stupid. I'm not stopping until I hear an apology."_

_"I DIDN'T DO ANYTH—"_

* * *

><p>ERROR.<p>

MEMORY UNSTABLE. CONNECTION TO "8$0$004jg:!tf09".mem INCOMPLETE. CANNOT DISPLAY FILE.

**-Try again.**

CONNECTION TO "8$0$004jg:!tf09".mem INCOMPLETE. CANNOT DISPLAY FILE. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU CLOSE "10.26.2011 - 13:50:09".mem TO STOP PROCESSES ATTEMPTING TO ACCESS A MEMORY WHICH HAS BEEN FLAGGED AS UNSTABLE. PROCEED?

**-No.**

PROCESS INCOMPLETE. UNABLE TO ACCESS "8$0$004jg:!tf09".mem

**-Close.**

**-Open "10.26.2011 - 13:50:09".mem.**

WARNING: THIS MEMORY MAY BE UNSTABLE. DO YOU WISH TO PROCEED?

**-Yes.**

**-Pause.**

**-Disable: connections to other memories.**

**-Go to 13.58.00**

* * *

><p>Riku pushed himself back up, rubbing his head. He ached all over, his muscles burning with protest as he staggered to his feet.<p>

_What… happened…?_

He looked around, worried. Maleficent was gone.

_See? I knew she wasn't going to be too difficult to fight. _

He laughed to himself as he thought that. Dusted himself off. Where she'd _gone_ though, was a mystery. He didn't remember _killing _her, but…

He cut those thoughts off with a shake of his head.

_That doesn't matter. I have to stop Sora before it's too late._

* * *

><p>MEMORY CONCLUDED. PLAY NEXT ONE?<p>

**-No.**


	68. (scraps) Vanitas

**AN/** This was written while I was on a reading-high from KHfic "Infallibility" by sorasloer982 (/s/8765181). It was after reading chapter 6, specifically, if I'm correct (and I probably am, seeing as that's the one where Roxas dreams he is Ventus.)

I've been meaning to upload this for a while, but every time I looked at it went "nah, maybe I'll finish it first". It has now been a year (at least) and I haven't touched it since it's initial conception, so I suppose it is safe to say that I will never _actually _finish it.  
>It also probably shouldn't be considered canon, either.<p>

This is written in the same perspective that Infallibility is, as in, first person present. Shad's POV.

* * *

><p>My heart stops.<p>

Ventus.

"Oh, look-y here. Someone's decided to grow up."

The words leave my mouth without my consent. The wolf growls at my side, trying to snap me out of it. It doesn't succeed. My eyes are fixed on Ventus, something stirring in my chest, something growing, _awakening._

I don't like it.

Ventus turns to me. His eyes lock on me.

Slight horror floods through me.

_He can see me_.

Then I scoff. Of course he can see me. After all, I'm _him._

_ No!_

I want to scream. I tear my eyes away from Ventus. I am not him. I am not I am not I am _not!_ If I am anyone, I am Sora, but I am not him, either. But, most certainly, I am not _him._ My name is not—

"Vanitas!" Ventus cries, angrily, Keyblade already in his hand.

I distract myself with how funny the way he holds his Keyblade is—all backwards like that—and bury the feeling that this seems so familiar.

_Vanitas is dead._

_ I am not him._

_ I am Sora's Shadow._

_ Vanitas is half of Ventus's heart, purged of light, split in two, taken form. That is not me._

For once, I find the possibility that there is somehow light in my heart comforting. All the more reason to not be _him._

"What are you doing here?"

A different voice.

Female.

Aqua.

I turn to her, and instantly regret it.

"What? Upset that my Master took your precious Terra away from you?"

The words are not mine.

I cover my mouth, clutch my head, tear at my hair. It has to stop. I have to make it stop! I know I'm moaning, repeating stop, like what I want to stop will actually listen. It's like what Sora does when he's in pain. I embrace the resemblance to Sora. At least it's not—

_Damn it, Vanitas! Damn it!_

_ You are DEAD!_

_ Stop using me as your vessel!_

I need to leave. Get away from Ventus. Then it'll stop. Then it'll—

The whizzing of a Keyblade interrupts me. I glance up just in time to see that Ventus has thrown his Keyblade at me for an attack. Attacking me while I'm moaning in pain? Sheesh, and _he_ apparently has a heart full of light!

Hardly thinking about it, I summon my chains and catch the Keyblade with them.

_My chains._

Another thing that separates me from—

I throw Ventus's Keyblade to the ground, and then lash my chains in Aqua's direction. She's quick to block them. I bring them back to me, like a whip, and then strike again. I still miss. Well, no, Aqua had thrown up a spell. Reflect, was it called?

My wolf—another thing _he_ never had—launches itself at Aqua. I'm not too worried about it. But that leaves me to fight Ventus. I curse the wolf internally. I don't want to be fighting Ventus. If I fight Ventus…

The familiarity was already sinking in.

It was like fighting Sora.

But Ventus could afford to break a little more. He's so fragile. Always has been. He's never been as strong as me. Never will be. He'll never—

_Damn it, Vanitas!_

I don't summon my Keyblade to block Ventus's next attack. I use my chains. My chains are my own. My Keyblade is borrowed. I tell myself that it's borrowed from Sora to ease myself, but the possibility that I borrowed it from Vanitas still remains.

I don't like this.

Vanitas is dead.

I would have seen him if he was still lurking in Sora's heart. I would've.

Right?

Even so, the familiarity of this fight is not lost on me. Fighting Ventus is so natural. I hate every second of it. Every damn second of it. The way he swings his Keyblade at me, the way he dodges my attacks—it's too familiar for my liking. I feel like I've been here before. I shoot a Dark Firaga at him, but even _that_ is familiar.

_Except this time, I wasn't trying to annihilate him._

I'm not certain where the thought came from, but I distract myself from it. I summon Dark Blizzaga to my fingertips, knowing Ventus won't like it, but the familiarity of that is so painful that I toss it aside.

_I am not Vanitas!_


	69. (scraps - DI - endgame) Namine, I-

**AN/ **it was initially supposed to be a running gag after the Shipping Riku to HB sequence (around ch170) that Riku'd attempt to tell Namine he loved her but get interrupted by various different things. This was scrapped because by ch191 I couldn't keep them from admitting they loved each other. Or, I couldn't keep Namine from saying it, anyway, and once she'd said it... there was no point in interrupting Riku, y'know?

This is a collection of different attempts + interruptions.

This also touches a little on the "Namine is Deactivated" idea, which was also scrapped. I'll get into reasons as to why that was scrapped in a later chapter - the next chapter, actually, and I'll have a collection of potential scenes for it, to boot.

Further notes provided with each scene, if necessary.

* * *

><p><strong>During endgame, after rescuing Namine (Xigbar's interruption)<strong>

**_-(in the initial draft, she was rescued and later deactivated)_**

"Namine… I want to tell you something…" Riku said slowly.

Namine couldn't help but laugh slightly. Curious as to what he was planning on saying, and wondering why he had to tell her before he said it, she nodded. "What is it?" she asked, smiling at him.

He slowly stopped walking. "Well… I…" he muttered, eyes fixed on his feet. "I suppose I should just say it." He sighed and then glanced up at her. Their eyes met, and a smile slowly spread across his face. "Namine, I-" he began.

His sentence was, however, cut short. He let out a sudden gasp of pain as something pierced his shoulder. He grimaced and then glanced over, wondering what the heck it was.

It was a laser bullet of sorts.

"You killed my clone!" came a very sudden shout from Xigbar, as he walked into the room.

"I'm… umm…. Sorry…?" Riku replied, turning to Xigbar.

**xxx**

**After Xigbar's gone aka Saix's interruption**

"So… umm… what was it that you wanted to say earlier?" Namine asked.

Riku frowned, confused for a second. Namine sighed.

"You didn't forget, did you?"

"No! No, I just-" Riku began, and then sighed, too. He scratched the back of his head, almost nervously, and then smiled.

Namine laughed and shook her head.

Riku laughed, too.

"Namine, I-" he began again.

"As touching as this moment is going to be, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut it short," came a rather sudden, almost angry sounding voice. It wasn't entirely angry though, maybe a bit… amused…

They both turned, and found Saix glaring at them.

"You!" Riku shouted, taking a step forward. "I am _not_ happy with you!"

Namine couldn't help but sigh. Whatever it was that Riku wanted to tell her, it seemed it would have to wait.

**xxx**

**The other hash of previous version**

"Namine, I-" he began again. A sudden shockwave knocked him aside though (miraculously missing Namine) before he could finish. He let out an exasperated groan as he rose to his feet again.

"Really!?" he exclaimed, dusting himself off. "I'm kind of in the middle of something here!" he called, though he hadn't really bothered to look up yet. "And this is the _second_ time I've been interrupted. I don't really appreciate that you-" he stopped short, as he finally looked up. Standing in front of him, claymore in hand, and eyes in a fierce glare, was Saix.

"Oh… it's _you_," Riku muttered, and drew his blade. "I'm still annoyed that you interrupted me, but I suppose it can wait… Namine!"

"Yeah?"

"Get somewhere safe," Riku told her, grinning slightly. "Though this shouldn't take too long…"

**_And then, after the Saix battle, she'd be Deactivated because that was Saix's last desperation move_**

_(Riku being interrupted on the verge of telling Namine he loved him was also a little more than a running joke—initially, he wasn't supposed to have said it before she was Deactivated, giving him more to angst about. That was scrapped, however, before her being Deactivated was.)_

**xxx**

**Other Xigbar-interruption scene**

"We're a bit odd, aren't we?" she asked, after a moment.

He glanced down at her, a bit confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" she was silent for a moment, as she thought about it and how she was going to word it. "You just killed L, 37's pissed, I bet Saix isn't happy either, we're standing in the middle of the Organization's Headquarters, completely vulnerable- and yet we're laughing, joking, flirting; like we don't care. Isn't it – I don't know – dangerous?"

He chuckled.

"What's gonna happen, huh?"

She shrugged.

"I don't know! Some Organization member comes up from behind and attacks or… something."

"I'd feel for sorry for anyone who tries," he replied simply.

She frowned. This conversation wasn't going how she wanted it to. He wasn't catching on like she hoped he would.

"Wouldn't it be…" she began, slowly. "Wouldn't it be safer if I… wasn't here?"

He looked at her, a bit confused.

"Do you want to go back to Castle Oblivion?" he asked.

"Well… I want to be with you," she admitted. "But we can spend time together later, and if me going back to Castle Oblivion would be safer – I'm out of way and you only have to worry about yourself – then-"

He stopped walking and turned to her. "Namine, listen. I know it would probably be safer if you weren't here. But-" He was silent for a moment. He swallowed, and then reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "If you weren't here, I wouldn't stop worrying about you," he said. He slowly reached up and stroked her cheek. "I mean, if I wasn't with you, how am I supposed to know whether or not you're okay? You could be hurting, upset, Saix could kidnap you again, and- and I wouldn't know. I can't stand not knowing, Namine."

She stared at him, unsure of what to say; if she even needed to say anything. He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, and then smiled. Her heart skipped a beat or two.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. "And I'd hate to see you get hurt, but- I think I'd rather that than not knowing and having to hope that you're okay. I mean, if you want to go back to Castle Oblivion, I'm not stopping you. But I'd much rather that you didn't leave my sight. Because how am I supposed to protect you if I don't know what's happening to you? I _hate_ not being able to protect you! I mean, Namine, I—"

_**~cue Xigbar—or Saix if I'd really wanted to be cruel (he would've Deactivated her then and there before Riku could finish the sentence, if I'd wanted to be as cruel as possible)**_

_**Honestly, if I'd gone through with deactivating her, I would've gone this last route, and likely would've actually had Saix deactivate her while Riku was mid "I love you". I guess I like being as cruel as possible.**_


	70. (DI -endgame) Deactivating Namine Drafts

**AN/ **deactivating Namine was an idea from the Initial Draft of Dead Inside, which was eventually scrapped. I didn't figure it had much emotional pull, especially since it wasn't even permanent or anything, and it felt a lot like "killing her for the shock of it but no actual consequences in the end" which has been done... quite a bit... *glances at a lot of recent Disney movies*

"yeah but rewriting Namine wasn't permanent." FAIR POINT, but it definitely had some negative repercussions, and a lot more emotional pull. Plus it made up for Xemnas being a kind of cruddy final battle. Because, honestly, he was. Killing him only because it was necessary, no emotional pull whatsoever, etc.

Most of these scenes were written somewhere in the late 2011/early 2012 era, I'm pretty sure, minus the first one. Further notes will be presented with each scene version, if relevant/necessary.

* * *

><p><em><strong>This is the very original one, sent to my friend grace on 918/10—this was written while I was still working on Falling to Pieces**_

He glared up at Saix defiantly. Saix merely chuckled and raised his hand. Off to the side, Namine gasped and then collapsed. Riku rushed over to her, falling to his knees at her side. "No!" he gasped, craddling her lifeless body.

"No," he whispered, "no!" tears rolled down his cheeks as he clutched her close. He whispered: "no..." one last time. Silence filled the room. Then, slowly, he looked up. His eyes met Saix's and rage flooded through him.

"What did you do to her!?" he yelled

"Did you forget?" Saix replied. "She's a replica that we created. I, as a member of the Organization, can choose what happens to her, including when she's deactivated."

"What?" Riku gasped, looking down at Namine. "Deactivated?" He glared up at Saix again. "You wouldn't!"

"But what if I already did?"

Riku looked down again, staring at Namine's face, which had already started to lose color. He sat there for a minute, refusing to believe what his eyes told him. Saix smiled.

Suddenly, Riku shifted into Dark Mode and lept into the air. His blade appeared in his hand, and he struck Saix hard. Saix staggered back, and Riku had his blade at his throat.

"Put her back." Riku said threateningly. "Put her back now!"

"Is this all that having a heart brings you?" Saix asked. "Caring so much that- that it hurts?"

"Stop it!" Riku snapped. "Just put her back! Put her back now or I'll kill you!"

"And what would you get out of killing me? I'd be dead, and you'd never have her back."

Riku paused, considering this. The rage left his face and was replaced by sadness, and his blade slowly lowered. He turned, looking back at where Namine lay, lifless on the ground. "I'd find another way," he declared finally.

"Hmph. So you claim."

Riku growled and turned, striking Saix. Saix gasped and fell to his knees, clutching his side. "Don't think this is over!" he gasped, then faded away.

Riku sighed, then went back to Namine. he cupped her cheek in one hand, brushing a lock of hair out of her face with the other. "Namine..." he whispered sadly. He sighed, then stood up, staring at the door that lead to Xemnas. "I'll find another way," he told her "I promise."

**xxx**

"You don't have a heart!" Riku shouted, furious. "How the heck would you be able to know?"

Saix smirked. "True, I don't have a heart, but I know very well how to injure one." He raised his hand as he said this. Riku continued to glare at him. Saix snapped his fingers.

Riku raised his eyebrows, confused. _What's he doing? _he wondered. _I'm not in the program… he can't deactivate-_

_Thud!_

Riku's eyes widened in shock at the noise of a body hitting the floor. "No…" he whispered. He didn't want to turn around and look. He was _scared_ to look.

But slowly, he turned anyways.

"NOO!"

The heart wrenching scream tore itself from his lips at the sight of Namine crumpled on the ground.

This couldn't be happening.

**xxx**

(Riku glances between Saix and Namine, as if deciding who to deal with, finally rushes over to Namine.)

He rushed over to her and picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

"Namine," he whispered. "Namine please…" (begs her, in denial, to be okay)

It was no use. He could see it, as he watched. She was growing paler by the second.

He sat there for a minute more, refusing to believe what his eyes were telling him.

"What did you do?" he asked finally, voice quiet as he tried to remain calm. He turned to Saix, and his calmness faltered. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!?" he shouted.

"I would think it obvious," Saix replied.

_But she's not catalogued, so she can't be-_

_Oh it doesn't matter that she CAN'T all that matters is that she IS._

He turned back look at her, and tears began to form in his eyes.

_Damnit, _he thought angrily.

"Put. Her. Back!" he said, simply, furious. "Put her back NOW!"

His fury rose as Saix began to laugh.

"Is that all having a heart is?" Saix asked plainly. "Caring so much that it hurts?"

"Shut up!" Riku shouted over his shoulder. "Just shut the hell up!"

**xxx**

He didn't turn around.

He didn't _want_ to turn around.

As if, somehow, not seeing it would make it untrue.

Or, at least, delay having to face the truth.

Because staying in uncertainty seemed a lot better than-

He couldn't do it.

The uncertainty was killing him.

He needed facts.

No matter how much those facts might hurt…

**xxx**

**_Remember the "Namine, I-" chapter? The previous chapter? This is how that last one would've happened had Saix interrupted instead of Xigbar—honestly, this was the version I was most likely going to go with if I'd kept the deactivating Namine thing._**

"Namine, I-"

_Snap._

It echoed through the room, eerily. The words caught in Riku's throat as he watched, in horror, as Namine went completely limp and collapsed. He caught her as she fell, sinking to his knees as he did so, cradling her close to him.

"No-" he said, voice strangled. "NO!"

She was hardly any weight in his arms.

"No! Namine! Please!"

He shook her gently. Her eyes remained closed, her face still caught between something like happy anticipation and sudden terror.

"Namine?" he whispered, and then placed an ear against her chest. She wasn't breathing. Her heart wasn't beating. Her skin was stone cold.

Terror flooded through him, quickly turning to rage.

"What did you _do?_" he demanded, voice choked. He turned to Saix, furious. "What the hell did you do!?"


	71. (DI - endgame) Shad loves Kairi

**AN/ **This was written probably in that early 2012 era. I'm not sure.

Originally, in Dead Inside, for a while, I'd intended Shad's change of heart, and later his death, to be caused by loving Kairi. Somewhere along the line I decided against that, probably because I took one look at the idea of Shad changing because of Sora and went "yes that. that is good."

Thus, Shad changing because of Kairi was scrapped, and come Part 2 of Dead Inside, I was writing things more in a "Shad changes because of Sora" mode - Shad loving Sora was an idea that came much later.  
>Further details on this subject (the change from Shad loving Kairi to Shad loving Sora + Shad being Bound to Sora which is another scrapped thing) can be found on the FtPverse blog - rarmastersftpverse - and I really highly suggest you read it, because there is a lot of info that I couldn't put in this one author's note.<p>

Anyway

This scene is the original draft of Shad's death, which was written while I was still operating in the "Shad loves Kairi" mode. Admittedly, outside of Shad's motives for death, not a lot changed.

Also to note, this was written when Deactivating Namine was still a thing. If you want more info on _that, _check the previous chapter.

* * *

><p>"JUST KILL ME!" he shouted, turning to Sora. Sora took a step back, shocked. His Shadow was crying. "I can't take it anymore!" the Shadow continued. "I tried so hard to live with it, but I just <em>can't<em>. There's not a second, not a damn _second_ when I'm not thinking about her!"

"Who?" Sora asked, skeptically.

"Who do you _think_, idiot?" his Shadow replied. "Kairi! I can't get my mind of off her, and it's driving me _nuts!_"

Sora slowly glared.

His Shadow hardly noticed. "I am pure _darkness_," he whispered, voice shaking slightly with his hurt. "I shouldn't be able to feel this way! I shouldn't be able to fall in love! Love is such a disgusting emotion! But I _love_ her!" He said this almost as if were poison in his mouth. For all Sora knew, it actually was.

"And I hate myself for it!" the Shadow cried, and in his frustration threw his blade to the ground. A few dark pillars flared up from the impact, but they did no harm. "I _hate_ it! Even right now my heart is tugging me, telling me to just go back and see her, it doesn't matter if she can't see me! I just want to be near her!" He turned away, clutching his head in his hands. "I didn't even know I _had_ a heart," he whispered, voice quiet and pitiful. "Or even if I did… it was so twisted and corrupted and perverted by darkness that it didn't even matter."

Sora loosened his grip on his blade slightly. He considered banishing entirely, but he didn't, just in case this was all just a stupid gag to make him feel sorry for his Shadow. And while he pitied him, the Shadow would strike-

But he was having trouble believing that story.

"But it does matter, doesn't it?" Sora asked quietly.

His Shadow turned to him, his tear streaked face worse than it had been before. "More than anything," he said, and then winced. "AND I HATE IT!" he screamed, voice tearing the air around him. "I would have been perfectly okay if stayed the way it was a month ago, when my love for her was just some guilty pleasure. Where I just sat there and thought of all the things I wanted to do, if only I actually existed enough to do them. Because it was just _fun_ to think of, even though I knew it would never happen."

The Shadow slowly sunk to his knees and buried his face in his hands. "But then it all changed," he groaned. "Next thing I knew, I didn't _want_ to think of those things anymore. I felt _guilty._ I FELT GUILTY!" He was shouting again in his frustration.

Sora's glare faltered. He couldn't bring himself to be mad. All the built up hate he had towards his Shadow was slowly ebbing away.

And his Shadow slowly turned to him, a glare in his eyes. And not a cruel glare, but a very _hurt_ glare, much like the one Sora had seen Riku wear not long ago. "And that's not the only thing I feel guilty for," he said, and then laughed bitterly. "I feel guilty for all the pain I caused everyone. Aerith, and that weird Vexen Replica… 6, was it? I feel guilty that I accidently caused one of Namine's meltdowns, even though it was only an accident. I don't give a damn about anything!" He paused a second, as if he was desperately trying to convince himself that that statement was still true. "So why the hell do I give a damn about this? I don't even get enjoyment from hurting people anymore! I no longer find their pain amusing!"

He suddenly rose to his feet and started pacing. He summoned his chains, and started to twirl them, before letting out another annoyed scream and throwing them to the ground. They slid across the ground over to where his blade lay, and just stayed there. He stared at them for a moment before returning his attention to Sora.

"You know all the pain that Riku's feeling right now?" He laughed, but the laugh was bitter. "I don't think it's funny, I don't point and laugh at him! I feel _sorry_ for him. I feel like _I_ should go out into the Worlds and track down 37 and squeeze the passwords out of him. It's not like it would be hard! It would only take a bit of work… but- _me_? Being _nice?_ I disgust myself! I _hate_ myself. _ I HATE what I've become!_"

There was a moment of silence, and his words echoed emptily around the area. He had stopped his pacing, and just stood there, as if the world would answer his cry. Finally he turned his attention back to Sora.

"I can't even bring myself to hurt _you_!" he snapped. "I feel guilty every time I think about it! I feel _sorry_. SORRY! Like I should apologize for all the hurt I've caused you, like I should apologize for that scar, like I shouldn't be trying to drag you into darkness anymore! AND IT KILLS ME! Since the moment I first talked to Kairi I've been at war with myself! My heart which I shouldn't have is trying to change who I am, and my existence just can't handle it. I CAN'T HANDLE IT!"

He buried his face in his hands again. "I just can't handle it anymore," he whispered, his voice shaking again. "I just can't take it-" his voice broke off into a sob, and he turned away, trying to keep himself from crying anymore.

Sora swallowed, and then took a step forward, reaching out. "I'm sorry-" he began.

"DON'T!" his Shadow shouted, turning on him. "I'm already going through enough, I don't need your pity on top of it! I don't need you're mercy! Just kill me already. End it! I don't want to live like this anymore."

Sora stood there, doing nothing.

The anger returned to his Shadow's face. "I KNEW IT!" he laughed, but the laugh was painfully bitter. "I knew you couldn't do it! You're too damn nice! The one time I actually give you the chance to kill me you _don't take it._ WHY?"

His anger fell into pain again, and he turned away again and broke down into sobs. Before long he was on his knees again, bitter tears rolling down his cheeks.

Sora didn't say anything for a moment, watching this pitiful spectacle, and then he swallowed. He went over to his Shadow's blade and kicked it over to him. And then after a moment's hesitation he kicked the chains over to him, too.

"Get up," he said, trying to keep his voice even. He slowly readied his blade. His Shadow looked up at him, shocked.

"I said get up!" Sora repeated, anger edging into his voice. "And at least put up a decent fight! I'm not just going to brutally murder you. I'm not cruel."

His Shadow slowly grabbed his blade and chains, and rose to his feet. "Fine," he muttered. "But I can't promise you a fair fight. The odds might just swing wildly towards your favor."

**xxx**

The Shadow stumbled back and his blade and chains fell from his hands. They hit the ground and erupted into darkness. Before long, the rest of his body began to fade into darkness, too.

All except one little spark of light slowly floating away from him.

"There it is," he laughed. "That heart that I shouldn't have. Take it."

Sora raised his eyebrows, confused.

"I said take it!" his Shadow shouted. "I bet that it's partially yours anyways. I probably took too much when I split myself from you. I'm not sure if you'll be complete without it."

Sora swallowed and then slowly reached out, cupping the light in his hand.

The Shadow smirked, and then slowly closed his eyes, letting the rest of him fade away. And soon, all that was left of him was the little light in Sora's hand.

_"Besides, this way…" _the voice of his Shadow said. _"Well… it may not be much of a living, existing inside you. But… I'll still get to be with her."_

The light in Sora's hand slowly floated towards his chest and then melted into him. Sora stood there for a moment, staring at the place where his Shadow had once been. There was an odd feeling inside him, now. Something was inside him that felt unfamiliar, but now that it was here, he realized how incomplete he had been without it.

Slowly, he turned and walked away, his thoughts focusing back to where they probably should be.

Towards helping Riku.


	72. (DI - endgame) Shad saves Kairi

**AN/ **this is the original draft of the "Shad saves Kairi from Xaldin" deal (ch227, if I remember correctly). It was written probably in that early 2012 era, like a lot of these initial endgame things. Perhaps closer to the late 2011 end. I don't know exactly. A lot of these endgame things were put in larger docs and later moved to separate docs, but I've just come to figure they were all written around the same time.

Anyway, not much to say about this one, since it's relatively minor. It was written under the idea that Shad loving Kairi is what inevitably changed him, instead of him loving Sora. It was also written before I decided leaving Kairi on the islands was Lame. That's kinda all that changed, and while I guess it's a lot, there's not much to say on it. If you want to hear about the "Shad loving Kairi vs Shad loving Sora" thing, you can find some talk in the last chapter, and even more on the FtPverse blog.

* * *

><p>"Sora!" Kairi shouted as a dark corridor formed around her.<p>

"Kairi!" he yelled, but it was no use. He was too far away.

The Shadow glared at Xaldin. "Oh no you don't!" he called, teleporting himself closer to Kairi. He quickly dove through the corridor after her before it closed.

"C'mon," he said, not bothering to take much detail of the surroundings. He grabbed her by the wrist.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Who-"

"It's me again," the Shadow said quickly. "You can only hear me, remember?"

Before she could respond, he flashed them away.

"Here, you're home," he muttered, letting go of her.

Kairi turned to him, or… tried to. She ended up looking about three inches to his left. He sighed. She groaned.

"You know, it's _really_ frustrating that I can't see you," she laughed.

The Shadow reached out, gently turning her face so she was looking him in the eye.

"There," he whispered, pulling his hand away.

Kairi caught him by the wrist (only barely). After a second of probably getting used to the fact that she was holding something she couldn't see, she ran her hand up his arm and to his shoulder. Hesitantly, she reached out and placed her other hand on his other shoulder. She stood there for a second, as if trying to judge just how far apart they were, and then pulled him into a hug.

The Shadow let out a small gasp that quickly turned to laughter. And, not his usual cruel laughter, but genuine, excited, surprised, _happy_ laughter. His head began to throb dully, as at this close contact to her he was getting a lot of her dark memories and quite a few bright thoughts. Some, _very bright_ thoughts. He quickly threw up a few mental blocks so that those bright thoughts would not ruin this moment.

"Thank you," Kairi whispered.

He paused a moment, trying to form a coherent answer. "It was- it was nothing," he said finally.

Kairi pulled away and smiled at him. And though it did him no good, he smiled back.

"Don't tell Sora about this," he laughed. "I can feel how angry he is at Xaldin right now. I… don't want to be killed for the happiest moment of my life."

Kairi laughed. "How am I supposed to tell him if I don't know who you are?" she asked.

"He'll know it was me," the Shadow replied. "So… don't tell him."

"Okay…" Kairi said slowly.

"I gotta go," the Shadow sighed. "Duty calls again!"

He flashed off.

**xxx**

"You know, you didn't need to be so worried about Kairi," the Shadow called. "I took her home."

Sora turned to him with a fierce glare. "What did I say about going near her!?" he shouted

"Would you rather I had left her where Xaldin had sent her? It wasn't a very pleasant place," the Shadow laughed.

Sora's glare slowly softened.

"Thank you…" he whispered.

"Huh, you're thanking me… that's weird. I'll try not to get used to it."

He summoned his blade.


	73. (scraps) - DIch185 original draft - THAT

**AN/ **I can't tell you how embarrassed I am to be uploading this, but... it is the scene that near single handedly shape Dead Inside. I should upload it. I really should.

The story behind this is that after ch16 of FtP I was like "omg i could've gotten away with them kissing!1 xD" (cue massive eye roll) and this just sorta? happened. Continuity is non existent, and the memory sequence involves a boring recap of CoM and the Truth Hurts, as if those were the most important things. If you don't want to ever read my 12-year-old-writing again, click away right now, because that's exactly what this is, unedited, untouched, and entirely embarrassing

* * *

><p>She screamed, clutching her head in pain. The memories were flashing by her eyes, quicker than ever before. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing for them to stop. But they only became more angry, and voices reared up in her ears, a deafening roar.<p>

Riku grabbed her hands in his. "It's alright," he told her, "You're gonna be okay."

His voice cut through the voices in her head, pushing them back. Even the memories became less frantic with him just here. She nodded, but didn't dare open her eyes to look at him.

"Hey, open your eyes," he said.

She shook her head.

"Please?" he whispered.

She slowly opened her eyes. For a second, the memories died down at just the sight of his face. His blue eyes twinkling, smiling at her. She smiled back, but the memories fired back up again, warping his face. She shut her eyes quickly.

"Namine, please, try and fight it. You're just letting the memories have their way. Try looking at me again. Focus on me."

She opened her eyes again, and tried pushing the memories back so she could focus on him. But it was hard, and she closed her eyes again.

"We're getting nowhere," Riku chuckled, squeezing her hands.

"It hurts…" she whispered.

"I know, but you've got to try."

"I can't. It hurts too much."

"Too much to even try?"

She nodded, as the memories started moving so fast they were going to make her sick. The voices were a deafening roar. She was only barely holding on to consciousness. She just didn't want to pass out with Riku here. She didn't want him to worry anymore than he already was.

"Come on! Fight it," he encouraged.

"I can't…" she whispered, her consciousness threatening to succumb to the wave of memories.

Silence passed, in which she could tell Riku was thinking hard about something. She was silently wishing he would say something, even though there was only a slim chance that it would help the memories die down again.

It was while she was thinking this that he suddenly pressed his lips to hers. At first, she was shocked, but the roar of memories and voices died down and she relaxed. A wall of emotion flared up inside her, a good portion of it being relief about being released from the frantic memories. The rest, she couldn't even begin to describe.

Another wave of memories came over her, but these were less frantic, and much happier.

_"__Riku! Look!" she gasped, pointing. A shooting star flew through the sky._

_ "__Meteor shower," Riku said._

_ "__But- but what if a shooting star hits the islands?" she asked, doing her best to keep the fear out of her voice. However, it wasn't working all that well._

_ "__Don't worry!" Riku laughed, jumping to his feet and pulling out his wooden sword. "If a shooting star comes our way, I promise I'll protect you." He turned to look at her, a grin on his face. She laughed, suddenly feeling less scared._

_ "__Okay," she said, reaching out and placing something in his hand._

_ "__Huh?" he asked, looking at the star shaped charm. "What's this?"_

_ "__It's my good luck charm," she said._

The memory faded as Riku pulled away. Disappointment rang through her for a second, but she pushed it aside.

Riku stayed silent, mind spinning, heart pounding. What had made him do that? He wasn't quite sure. He had just been sitting there, thinking of possible ways to help her fight the memories. The thought of kissing her had just popped into his head, and he had laughed about it, thinking it was kind of stupid. But then… he had just acted upon the thought and…

However, it seemed to have helped. She had stopped complaining about her head hurting. And, that one memory… they both saw it. A small pang of guilt went through Riku. The memory wasn't even real, and now, she knew about it too. He looked at her, noticing a small smile on her face.

All his worry and guilt fell from him. The memory of the kiss was obviously still fresh in his mind. It was a sweet memory, one he didn't plan on forgetting anytime soon. He hesitated a second, and then leaned in to kiss her again.

It was like they were one mind for a second. Her sensitivity to memories was strong, and memories were flowing from him to her, flickering through both of them at the same time.

_"__Protecting Namine. Nothing else matters- not a thing."_

_"__Don't worry," he said, smiling. "Whatever's hurting you, I'll make it go away."_

_"__I'll care for Namine. Anyone who goes near her- goes through ME!"_

_"__But there is one memory I'll keep, even if it is just a lie! I will protect Namine."_

_"__I made a promise to Namine. I promised to… keep her safe…"_

More flashes of memory, fragmented and quick. If Riku had been thinking about it, he would have recognized them as memories from a few months ago, when he had been trying to remember everything. After that came flashes of memory from when he had gone to Castle Oblivion and fought the Organization.

_"__Do you think she'll remember me? Is there any possible way?"_

A quick flash of memory, him carrying her out of Castle Oblivion.

_"__Riku I-" Namine stuttered. "I don't remember,"_

_"__I know," he said, grabbing her hand. "That's why I'll say it again. I will protect you. I promise."_

Flashes from after that, when the islands had been destroyed, and he was worrying about her. Then flashes of him finding her again.

_"__It's too dangerous!" he told her._

_"__I won't be in danger if you're there to protect me" she said._

They broke apart. Namine slowly opened her eyes, not fearing the memories at all.

"Riku," she whispered, reveling in the overflow of memories. She hadn't realized… just how much she meant to him.

He was silent for a moment.

"How's your head?" he asked finally, wondering if the memories had hurt her.

"Fine," she replied. "Perfectly fine."

"Good," he laughed. However, he doubted this would be the last time the memories would show up. "Can you promise me something?" he asked.

"What?"

"Remember this moment, every time the memories start up, okay?"

"Sure," Namine said, smiling. "Just as long as you promise me something, too."

"And what would that be?"

"Never forget this moment."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't ever want to forget it," he told her, smiling.


	74. (TH) Riku vs Larxene original draft

**AN/ **This is the original draft of the Riku vs Larxene battle found in the Truth Hurts (ch15). I rewrote that chapter recently (Oct 2014) to clear up continuity stuff. If you haven't read it yet you should!

* * *

><p>"Oh look, it seems we have an intruder in the Castle." Riku tensed as soon as he heard the voice, and he summoned his weapon without second thought. Larxene appeared across the room from him. "I wonder if he'll be a good boy."<p>

"Larxene!" he growled angrily, but refrained from attacking. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't just kill you now."

"What have I ever done to you?" Larxene asked innocently.

He grunted. Theoretically, SHE had done nothing. It was Larxene from the other universe that had. But even so, he couldn't look at her without his blood starting to boil. Out of all the Organization members, she was the one that had hurt him the most.

She laughed suddenly. "Oh right! I forgot that you have a… complicated past. If I recall correctly, I wasn't very nice to you, now was I?"

"Shut it!" he shouted, she seemed taken aback for a second but then smiled. "You would have done the same no matter what! You're no different!"

"You've only known me ten seconds!" she said. "How can you know what I would have done?"

"Time doesn't matter," he said, relaxing a bit. He had the upper-hand in Larxene's word game. He knew more about her than she could possibly know about him "I can see it, burning in your eyes, that same love for other's pain."

"I assure you, I'm nothing like that!"

Riku snorted. It was so easy to tell that she was lying. "Prove it!" he yelled, charging.

Larxene gasped, and jumped back out of range of his weapon. "Fine!" she snapped. "If you want to fight that bad-" she punched at Riku, who back-flipped out of the way. "Then let's fight!"

Riku laughed and raised his blade, while Larxene pulled out her knives. He charged first, landing a nice combo on her before she even knew what was going on. He grinned, and she scowled.

"Lightning!" Larxene yelled, and bolts of lightning came down from the ceiling. Riku dodged most of them with ease, and even when the last one hit him he acted like nothing had happened. He charged up Dark Firaga and shot it at Larxene, who was caught full on with the blow.

She teleported very quickly though, and reappeared right next to him, managing to land a punch on him before he backed up.

"You're just mean, you know that?" she shouted, throwing another punch, which he dodged. "You can't even have a nice conversation with anyone for more than a minute before attacking!" Throughout this sentence she continued with a volley of quick jabs, most of which he avoided.

"And you're not?" he replied, slashing hard with his blade and then pulled Helm Split on her. He jumped into the air and then brought his blade crashing down, causing pillars of darkness to rise around him. He could almost laugh as he watched Larxene attempt to avoid them in vain.

Larxene threw her knives at him, which Riku dodged easily. He retaliated with a few quick slashes of his blade, most of which hit their target. She threw a few quick jabs at him, which hit quite hard. Again, he attacked with quick slashes of his blade, and then Larxene kicked him hard.

Staggering back, he charged up Dark Aura. He shot across the field, blade in front of him, teleporting from one end to the next, hitting Larxene as hard as he could as he passed. She was unable to avoid his attack at all. He finished the move off by driving his blade in the ground, pillars of darkness rising around him.

He got the pain he dealt back when Larxene unleashed her next attack. She jumped in to the air, cackled manically, and then threw her knives into the ground. Lightning followed them, and then a large wall of lightning made its way towards him.

It was impossible to avoid. He lay on the ground for a second as lightning cackled around his body, trying to regain his strength. He could hear her footsteps on the ground, and could only assume she was heading towards him.

Panicked, Riku sat up and shot a ball of Dark Firaga before he even knew what he was doing. Larxene let out a scream of pain. He looked up, almost shocked, as he realized what he had down without thinking. Larxene was slowly getting to her feet.

"You have no heart!" she shouted angrily.

"Like you're any better!" he replied, just as angry.

"Ha! But having no heart is better than having a heart of stone!"

"At least I have a heart!"

Larxene threw her knives at him, which he blocked easily. Only one managed to get past and it grazed past his shoulder. He let out a small gasp of pain, but made a hard attempt not to show it. He charged and then slashed his blade at her.

"Impossible!" she gasped, falling to her knees. "How could I lose to someone like you! You're nothing! You have nothing! How-" she paused, realization dawning on her face. "I'm fading! NO! I can't be fading!" Her essence was already disappearing though. "I just can't be! It can't be over!"

He lowered his blade, glaring at her. "Face it, Larxene, you can't stop yourself from dying."

She looked up at him, look of hatred on her face. "You! YOU DID THIS!"

"How do you think I feel about you?" he replied, but received no answer, for Larxene was already gone.


	75. (F t P) an Echo of the Heart

**AN/ **This is a scene I've been wanting to write for a while, and since my schedule was free (having gotten to a stopping point in the Nothing's Fair Rewrite and wanting to start Nano but it being too early for Nano and starting another of NFRW being a bad idea...) well, I wrote it. Timing should roughly make sense as you read, along with what's going on. This does happen in Falling to Pieces, so we clarify that bit (not that it wasn't obvious, really.)

I plan on making a blog post on this, so keep an eye out for it!

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><p>It was cold. That was the first thing Ventus—<em>but call me Ven! <em>he'll chirp, the moment you ask—registered. Cold.

Ice cold, really, pricking at his skin like a thousand tiny needles. It took him a few moments more to recognize the cold and the pit in his stomach as darkness, the feeling he always got when it was near, always got when—

_You used to be too broken to talk back!_

_ A glint of golden eyes, a foul smirk, a cruel laugh. A flash of a Keyblade, eyes met with a black mask, and the memory of a horrible pit in his stomach, one so bad he feared he might puke—_

_ —_"_NO!_" Ven screamed, clutching hands over his ears, his head. The memories hurt. His head hurt. Everything hurt, and it wouldn't stop.

_Join with me Ventus, so we may create the χ-blade!_

_ Stained glass under his feet._

_ Keyblade under his hand, the metal warm in his palm._

_ No. I'll destroy it, and you with it! It ends HERE!_

_ Another laugh, cruel, mocking._

_ The χ-blade is made of your heart too, idiot! It vanishes, and you do too!_

_ Fine then. Whatever it takes. Anything to protect my friends._

He'd done it to protect more than them. He'd found the strength to win the battle, to give up his own life, not just for them, but for everyone. For everything. So that Xehanort wouldn't have the χ-blade, wouldn't have his precious war.

He'd watched the χ-blade shatter, _felt _it shatter, just as he felt Vanitas shatter. He thought he'd have to feel his own heart shatter, too—and that was a pain he dreaded so much. If these were his final moments, couldn't he at least be spared that?

And that's when a voice called out to him. Quietly, a whisper, but strong enough to heard.

The call had lead him to warmth, first, and light, which he lastly recognized as the heart of a young boy named Sora. A boy compassionate enough to reach out to him, kind enough to offer him a place to rest, while his heart healed.

But now, a place so warm and bright was suddenly cold, and dark. Ven shuddered, feeling the darkness around him, feeling it press against his skin. A bubble of light that he forced out from his body was enough to keep it at bay—for now.

_What happened….? _he wondered. In a place like the heart, it was almost like speaking the words aloud. He could dig through Sora's memories, he realized, should he really want to, but that seemed like invading the boy's privacy too much. Not that Sora was a boy any longer, he realized, with a start. More time had passed than he realized, and Ven had not aged a day. Sora had to be only years younger than him now, one or two years, if that.

_Well, sitting around here won't do me anything, anyway not unless I plan on raiding his memories. Maybe if I move around…. Maybe I can find Sora and ask him what's going on…_

So Ven started off. He couldn't remember getting to his feet—or had he always been on his feet?—but things were like that, in the heart, sometimes. Ven thought for a second to summon his Keyblade, but summoning a blade in another's heart seemed unwarranted, so he decided not to. It was only the darkness threatening him so far, and light alone would fix that, no Keyblade necessary.

He wasn't sure how long he walked—if it really could even be called _walking—_but it was long enough for him to think. To think, and to _feel. _Darkness wasn't the only thing he could sense here. There was a presence, too. Two presences. Maybe. It was hard to tell how many, just that one was frighteningly familiar. Actually, both that he felt were familiar, it was just one was an echo of familiarity, barely noted, while the other simultaneously made him so happy he could cry while making him want to vomit.

It was that presence he searched for as much as he searched for Sora, though chances of finding the boy in these depths his own heart were surprisingly slim, unless he was asleep.

_And the other presence…. Could it be?_

He didn't dare hope, didn't understand _why _he hoped, he just… he had to know. It had felt so permanent when it had happened, but maybe… _maybe. _

Finding out that he was right about the presence frightened him so terribly that he jumped right out of his skin and even summoned his Keyblade. That didn't change the tears of joy that welled up in his eyes, though. It was hard to explain why he was so happy, especially at the sight of _this _face, but he was. His heart felt like it would burst.

"Vanitas," he said.

Vanitas looked at him—yellow eyes narrowing, face pinched, his black hair looking even more of a mess than usual. He wasn't wearing clothes, though, in reality, he wasn't much more than a torso on a mass of darkness. Just like him to be lazy like that, in a lot of ways.

"Who are you?" Vanitas asked.

The question made Ven's heart stop. Hope died abruptly. Tears were already rolling down his cheeks, but they went from happy tears to devastated ones surprisingly quickly. He still couldn't say why it mattered. Couldn't say why his heart tugged so at the sight of a boy who'd been so cruel to him, even if a boy forged from his own heart.

"I'm… Ventus…" Ven said, very slowly.

"That's right…" Vanitas—was that Vanitas? It _had _to be—said. He got a distant look. "You would be here. He was… three, wasn't he? Two? Hmm…" Ven wasn't sure what he was talking about, but didn't have a chance to ask. Vanitas turned to him, then and a string of darkness formed in his hand. "How do you like being awake, hmm?"

Ven scowled. His tightened his grip on his Keyblade—no familiarity would make him put down his guard, and besides, Vanitas was acting strange. Too strange. "It's…." He swallowed. A bitter reply died in his mouth. "It's dark." He did not mean for his voice to sound as scared as it did, but…

"Of course it is," Vanitas laughed. He wanted to stop calling the being before him Vanitas, but how could he, when it wore his face? "Sora did surrender himself to it, after all." The way Vanitas tasted the name _Sora _on his tongue sent shivers down Ven's spine—or perhaps that was just the news.

"Sora? Surrender to the darkness!?" He laughed. "He wouldn't!"

Not Sora. Not that boy so full of light, that had offered him refuge, that had—

"You better believe it, Ven-y boy!" The laugh was cruel, but Ven figured he should expect no less, not from that face. "He must have, otherwise I wouldn't be here. No point sitting around getting comfortable with his heart if it wasn't as dark as this." He moved the string of darkness, slowly working it into a twirl, and after a moment it shifted, became a string of chains. "What do you think?" he asked, turning to Ven. The chains did not stop twirling once.

Ven didn't grace him with an answer. "What do you mean, _Vanitas, _that Sora surrendered to the darkness?"

"Exactly what I said!" the reply was more irritated than cruel, this time. "I mean, given all the darkness that is around you, are you really doubting it? And what the hell kinda name is _Vanitas, _anyway?"

Ven bit his tongue. Vanitas—not-Vanitas?—was right. There was too much darkness here for him to really consider another option. Sora must have surrendered himself to the darkness, or, at the very least, it had crept in and… But what had Vanitas said? Questioning his own name?

_It may not be his name. It may not be him!_

_ But how, when he feels just the same?_

Ven sighed. At any rate, Vantias-who-may-not-have-been-Vanitas didn't seem to want to attack, so Ven loosened his grip on his Keyblade and lowered his guard. "How… how is Sora, anyway?" he asked. The words came out hesitantly—it wasn't a question you could _normally _ask a creature of darkness.

"Dunno." Vanitas—it was easier to just call them that—said, with a shrug. "Deliciously unwell, I hope." He rolled his head from one side to the other. Ven could almost hear his neck crack. "Though, he's got a lot on his tail with Ansem around, and that's unfortunate—I can't believe he let _that _guy in."

Ven swallowed. What was that supposed to mean? But, more importantly, he supposed, who was Ansem? Hadn't he heard the name before….? He asked Vanitas—at least, who Ansem was, anyway. He left out the part about maybe having heard of him before.

"Dunno either," Vanitas replied. "I think I maybe knew him? I mean, I haven't seen him before in my life but it… it _feels _like I know him."

Ven's hand moved to hover over his heart. If this Ansem was the other presence was sensing, then he knew the feeling. It… it _almost _felt like Master Xehanort. But that was silly! It couldn't be him. Ven wasn't sure what had happened to Master Xehanort, being too busy defeating Vanitas and destroying the χ-blade and all, but surely either Aqua or Terra had taken care of him.

Speaking of Vanitas… this couldn't be put off any longer.

Ven cleared his throat. It brought Vanitas's gold-eyed stare to him. He had to clear his throat again, this time so he could speak. "You really… _don't _remember me, Vanitas?"

Gold eyes flashed with anger. "Stop _calling _me that _name!_" Vanitas-not-Vanitas snapped. "And why the hell would I remember you?"

Ven shifted. Maybe this wasn't… but it _had _to be. If he'd survived the destruction of the χ-blade, then Vanitas had to have, too. Plus he _felt _like Vanitas. No other person had ever tugged at Ven's heart like this.

"You don't even remember the χ-blade?" he asked.

"The _what?_" Then Vanitas's widened. The string of 'til-then-ever-twirling chains fell to the ground. He pressed his knuckles to his head. "WHOA. _WHOA. _NO. _What. the. hell._" He shuddered, sinking forward, fingers curling into his hair. "What is _this _what are _these memories _what…. Nng…. bald man…. _you… _cowering. Trapped by my unvers—what the _HELL _are _UNVERSED?—_and- and the _χ-blade _in my hand beating d-down on _STOP! NO! STOP!_"

Ventus wasn't sure at what point Vanitas stopped being just a torso and a mass of darkness, and started being a full body, it just happened. He was on his knees, looking about ready to tear out his hair.

"_STOP! STOP IT! THESE ARE NOT! MY! MEMORIES! THESE- THESE ARENT—_"

His voice made everything around them tremble, like reality itself was on the verge of shattering. The heart was like that. Ven tried not to tremble with the world around him, and banished his Keyblade, moving towards Vanitas. Memories or no, it _had _to be him.

"Listen, Vanitas, it's okay," he said, reaching out. He wasn't sure why he was comforting him, though perhaps the fact that this was the other half of his heart was enough of a reason. "It's alright. We're… alive. Y'see? We're not—"

"DON'T _TOUCH _ME!" A blast of darkness threw Ven back. "Get the hell _AWAY_ from me. I was _FINE _before _YOU_ got here! I was ABSOLUTELY _fine!_"

Ven pushed himself back up, approaching more cautiously this time. "Vanitas, please—"

"_LEAVE! _DON'T SAY THAT FUCKING NAME! JUST! _LEAVE!_"

It was a larger blast of darkness that Vanitas sent out this time. It hit Ven dead on. He grit his teeth and tried to summon enough light to beat the darkness back, but it was too late. The darkness engulfed him.

When he awoke, he was in his own body, surrounded by white walls. He couldn't remember how he got here. He couldn't remember much else besides a boy named Sora calling out to him before he was engulfed. He could remember that, and a beat of a presence in his heart. A beat of a presence that was familiar, that his heart longed for, that was gone.

Slowly, uncertainly, Ven got to his feet and tried to figure out where he was—and more importantly, where Aqua and Terra were. How long had it been, anyway? How long had he been asleep? He hoped Aqua was okay, and Terra too, of course. He also hoped they weren't old and grey.

_It'll be fine, _he told himself, summoning his Keyblade to him. He hit the switch on his shoulder, summoning his armor, too. _Now… _It was only seconds before his Keyblade was a glider, and he was boarding it. He looked down at a green glass star shaped charm, clutched in his hand. The wayfinder Aqua had made him, had made all of them.

_Can this thing take me straight to her? To either of them? I guess it's time I found out!_


	76. (ATR-ish) Cakeberry

**AN/ **this was spurred by rummaging through a closet and stumbling on a box of old childhood "not-junk". I was also looking for a basket of marbles, but unfortunately never found them.

Anyway, post-Dead Inside, pre-or-early-All that Remains. The rest is sorta obvious. Canon? definitely.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing, Sora?" Kairi asked, laughing a little at the sight of him sprawled out on the floor, arms and head somewhere beneath her bed.<p>

"Hey Kai!" he replied, without moving. His voice was very muffled.

"You lose something?" Kairi kicked him in the leg, and he jolted. The following _thump _made her wince. It sounded like he hit his head on the underside of her bed. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"S'alright. Hang on."

With a bit of effort, he wiggled his way out from under the bed. One hand was dragging a shoe box, and the other quickly went to rub his head. He was grimacing up a storm, but he can't have been hurt too badly, or he would've just thrown up a Cure for himself.

"Is that Mako's box of marbles?" Kairi asked, squatting down next to him. She pulled the box out of his hand without any trouble, and opening the lid proved her suspicious. Taped to the inside was a piece of paper with _Property of Mako _written in messy childish letters.

"Yeah, though I can't remember stealing it from him."

Kairi shot Sora an amused glance. "That's because you didn't. I did. You were the one getting his head shoved in a toilet."

"Right…"

Sora didn't look too happy about that reminder, but he didn't argue, either.

"Were you looking for the marbles in particular, or…?" Kairi asked, picking up a large marble out of the box. It'd been one of her favorites since stealing the box. Dark blue—or purple, or perhaps black, she'd never been sure—with white and grey swirls that looked like galaxies.

Sora picked a marble out of the box, too, a small white one speckled with raised, uneven dots. That'd been his favorite. "Suppose we should return these to him, huh?" he said, avoiding her question.

She frowned at him, for his avoidance, and replied slowly: "Can't. Mako moved. Remember?"

"Oh." Sora blinked a few times, then set the marble down to pick up another. Red with black stripes. "No. Didn't remember." He looked confused for a moment, and then he laughed. "Guess it's not a surprise, though, given that apparent spell on the island. I think your dad really is onto something."

"He keeps meaning to call a magician about it, but he also keeps putting it off," Kairi agreed, with a laugh to match Sora's. "Every time I point it out to him, he laughs and says it's just proof."

"S'pose he could ask that magician in Hollow Bastion," Sora said. "Ah… Merlin? Was that his name?"

"Yeah! You get someone to peg down where he lives, and I can take my dad to him."

"Can't you do both?"

"That kind of defeats the purpose of being a team, Sora!"

They both laughed for a moment. Sora dropped the marble as if he'd just become aware that he was holding it, and didn't want to be. She sent a worried look at him, pursing her lips together, but didn't have a chance to ask. Sora'd scrambled back under her bed.

"What now?" She laughed. After a moment, she moved so she was under the bed with him. It had much less space under it than when she was a kid—or rather, she'd gotten bigger. She had to turn her head sideways to even get it under the bed, and with Sora under here, too, there wasn't any room to move her arms.

He was more focused on binder just out of his reach. She recognized the binder. It was the one she'd shoved most of her loose drawings—none had been very good—and scraps of stories into. The stories weren't much better than the drawings, if she remembered correctly. And, if she did remember correctly, the binder had been shoved under here out of embarrassment. She didn't protest as Sora's fingers brushed it, though.

"Crud, Kairi, I can't reach it." He said, after a moment. "Can you?"

"Uhhuh." She had to wriggle quite a bit to get an arm from her side to above her head, and had to elbow Sora at least once in the process. He shimmied away from her after a moment, hands closing on another shoebox that was closer to him.

They pulled themselves out from under the bed with their prizes. The shoebox Sora had grabbed was a collection of seashells Kairi'd forgot she'd been saving. Sora didn't ask for the binder, now, he let her open it and flip through it herself, while he took the seashells out of the box and started sorting them by shape, then by color within the shape piles.

The drawings were obviously done by an eight-year-old in rough crayon, using exotic colors like _misty purple mountains _and _macaroni and cheese. _Kairi chuckled a little at the sight of the pictures, but was quick to turn away from. She started reading through one of the story scraps—that at least written in pencil on lined paper—but couldn't get more than a paragraph in.

She closed the binder and tossed it aside, moving to help Sora with the seashells.

"Why you so interested in this old junk, huh?" she asked, for what had to be the third time.

"Not junk," Sora said. He placed one of the seashells down, then reached over Kairi for the binder. He looked fondly at the pictures, running his fingers over the drawings with a slight smile. "Remember Cakeberry?" he asked.

"Oh my gosh do not say her name." Kairi shook her head, though she couldn't help the slight smile and blush that rose to her cheeks. Cakeberry had been a character she'd come up with when she was five. Her head was a cake. Kairi grimaced, then repeated: "What's got you so interested in this not-junk?"

"I… I didn't think I'd ever see it again…" Sora said, very slowly. His eyes were fixed on the open binder, still on a picture of Cakeberry. He slowly turned the page, though, to the next picture. "I mean. I dunno. I didn't think much about it while I was gone, but once I got back… I can't tell you how much time I've spent reading and rereading my old journals. The stories are dumb, but… I could've not come back. I could've never seen this stuff again…" He looked up at her, then, a sly smile on his face. "I coulda forgotten about _Cakeberry._"

Kairi whacked him. He laughed.

"I mean it though," he said, sighing. The smile fell. "I didn't think I'd miss it, but the moment I saw it again, the thought of ever losing it near paralyzed me."

"Right…" Kairi said, slowly. She let out a long breath. "You really thought you wouldn't come home?"

"I dunno." He shrugged. "It was… I didn't think I was gonna get away from Maleficent, for a while, and… and there was my Shadow to deal with…" He fingered a page of the binder idly, like he was about to turn it, but had forgotten he was even holding it. "I dunno."

Kairi let out a long breath. She placed a few more seashells, letting him sit and think.

"Why didn't you bring your journals over, huh?" she asked, to redirect his mind to something happier. "If you get to make fun of me about Cakeberry, I should get to make fun of you for… what was his name? Glokaclodadoodle?"

"Glokakus," Sora grumbled, though he was smiling. "Guess I should've. You want me to run and get 'em? I can." He was already getting to his feet, not waiting for the answer.

"Sure," Kairi said.

"Gimme five minutes."

He left.


	77. (pre-ATR) Sora returns home

**AN/ **well, so, I didn't _need _to write this, but now it is written, so you can have it. This is Sora returning home after Dead Inside. Yay.

* * *

><p>It didn't even occur to Sora the possibility of his front door being locked—Destiny Islands was a pretty chill and rather safe place. Everyone knew everybody, so locked doors weren't exactly a necessity. Of course, if his door <em>had <em>been locked, he could've just used his Keyblade, but it wasn't, so it didn't matter.

He took care in opening the door carefully, placing his weight on the wooden floorboards inside with such care he had not taken since sneaking in and out of his house to Kairi's when he was younger. The bulge of a star shard in his pocket made him think that, at least, sneaking wouldn't be a necessity anymore. Then again, star shards weren't exactly the most _discreet_ form of transportation.

With a chill he realized that, theoretically, a star shard might not be a necessity either. The idea of flat out walking out of this house without his parent's permission made his skin crawl, but he wasn't the same boy he'd been six months ago, when he'd last stood here. He wasn't the same boy he was a year ago, before Riku'd arrived. He was a Keyblade Wielder, now, with a weight of duty and past mistakes on his shoulders. He hoped he wouldn't have to consider leaving home too soon, but there was a certainty in his gut telling him there was a possibility of needing to, and that possibility wasn't far off.

He was not the same boy he was six months ago.

He was not the same boy he was a year ago.

This island was small, and a peaceful life hauling fish like his father did was no longer an option. His hand seemed to tingle at just the vague thought of the Keyblade, of being able to hold one, to call the mystical weapon to his hand at will.

This island was small, and he'd had a taste of fairytales that lay in worlds far away from it, far bigger than it. One taste would never be enough, if he claimed to know himself well. The sight of the walls of the house he'd spent near fifteen years in were a comfort, but the idea of never seeing anything but them for the rest of his life brought a foul taste to his mouth.

_Enough of that, Sora! _he scolded himself, shifting how his shoes were slung over his shoulder. They weren't that wet from the ocean—they'd had plenty of time to dry—but they undoubtedly had sand stuck to the bottom of them, and his mother hated dirty shoes scuffing the usually clean floors. Per custom, he would've left his shoes by the door, but the idea had slipped his mind, even after near fifteen years of habit.

He started moving slower, though, taking time to relish in the feeling of being home, and aggressively ignoring the fact the house felt like a ghost that would slip away from him sooner rather than later. He was home, and, for now, that was all that mattered. He smiled fondly at the pictures that lined the stairwell, old wedding photos of his parents, the latest school photo of him, a family photo that was three years old, plus one of him and Kairi from one of the school's plays. He skipped the second step, along with the seventh—they creaked—without thinking about it.

He tossed his shoes onto his bed, which was neatly made, suggesting his mother had been in here at some point. Besides the bed, she most not have tidied otherwise. The mess on his floor was as he remembered it, as the mess on his dresser and his desk. He sighed deeply, glad just to be in his room, to see the knick-knacks and keepsakes that littered shelves and every spare surface.

It was good to be home.

The only question was, now, did he wake his parents up? Or did he flop down to sleep—and boy did he feel like he needed to—and let them find him in the morning? He walked around his room a time or two, mulling it over, along with tossing clothes strewn on the floor all in one big pile. It was a wonder his mom hadn't come in and picked them up and washed them, really. He moved his shoes to a spot near his door, only vaguely realizing that he'd brought them up here when he normally wouldn't have.

Finally, he decided that it'd be nicer to his parents to wake them up and let them know he was here. He might give his father a heart attack if he let them find him asleep in his own bed in the morning.

He crept into his parents' room, even though he intended to wake them. He hesitated more than he probably should have, then placed a hand on his mother's shoulder and gently shook her.

"Mom?" he asked, voice cracking a little.

She jumped as she jolted awake, blinking up at him. "Sora, can it wai—" Then she sat upright, eyes wide. "_Sora!_" she gasped, eyes wide.

A grin broke across his face. Tears rolled from his eyes.

"Yeah, mom, it's me," he said.

"Haru! _Haru!_" His mother shook his father anxiously. His father only groaned and shifted, but that was to be expected. His father had never been easy to wake. "Haru, your son is home!"

"Should I sit on him?" Sora asked, laughing through his tears. He hadn't sat on his father to wake him since he was five.

"No, no, that's alright," his mother said. "He'll wake eventually. Here," she fumbled to turn on the bedside lamp. "Where have you—" The words died in her mouth as the light flickered on, and the blood all drained from her face.

Sora frowned, reaching up to wipe away his tears. "What's wrong," he began, but the action of wiping his tears told him what was wrong. His knuckles brushed a sensitive spot of skin that still stung a little. The scar. The scar that now marred his face.

"Sora, what happened to you?" his mother asked, reaching up to take his face in her hands. He tried not to wince at her touch.

Hi voice hitched in his throat. "It's- It's a long story," was all he could say. He could not tell her what had really happened, not now, not until he'd explained where he'd been. But even that wouldn't be easy. "I'm- I'm alright, though. It doesn't hurt." His flinching shoulders probably said otherwise.

"Well… you're home, now…" his mother said, very slowly. Tears glistened in her eyes. "And that… That is all that matters…"

He nodded, then reached down to hug her. Her thin arms wrapped around him, squeezing him tight. "I missed you," he said, words slurred by tears. His mother only held him tighter. It was good to be here. It was good to be home. It was good to hug his mom.

The embrace lasted for quite a while, and Sora's dad slept through the entire thing, but then Sora pulled away.

"I'm tired, mom," he said. "I'd like to go to sleep, if that's alright? I haven't slept in ages."

His mother let go reluctantly, but she nodded sternly. Her eyes did not meet his, though they trailed his face. "Yes. Get some rest, then, sweetie. I won't keep you."

"Thanks." He moved to leave the room, waving. "See you in the morning."

"See you in the morning," his mom replied. She was grinning.


	78. Merry Christmas! (2014)

**AN/ **Merry Christmas! Or, Happy Whatever-You-Do-Celebrate, and if you don't celebrate anything this time of year when it comes down to it, then Happy Early New Year! I finally _finally _wrote a legit FtPverse Christmas special! "What about Dead Inside ch139?" Well if you want to count that, then fine, but it was only ~vaguely~ Christmas themed. This one was written with Christmas in mind, and better stays true to the Christmas spirit!

Please enjoy these Christmas + family feels, and I hope you got to spend your holiday seasons with your loved ones! Give them a call if they're far away, or skype with them - and if you don't get along with your family, then call up some friends, and if you have none of those, then I hope you have a very very nice Christmas by yourself. I love you all!

**Oh, yeah, Update wise: **between it being Christmas and magik moving to a new state (and thus not having internet for the past few days), updates for ATR will be delayed until idk when. I promise updates will come, and I sincerely hope they come as soon as we can get them to you! But in the mean time, Merry Christmas, and I will try and have more chapters in ASAS or content like character profiles up over on the blogs to make up for the lack of updates~! Just hang in there.

* * *

><p>Riku slowed his descent down the stairs, hearing first Yuffie's continuous stream of <em>please oh please can we, <em>then seeing Yuffie tugging on Aerith's arm and bouncing in a rare show of excitement. It was also a surprise to see Yuffie _up _so early, though she was still in her pajamas—fuzzy pants and a large t-shirt. Aerith was dressed, of course, fussing over the stove.

"It's a little early," Aerith said, sparing only a glance at Yuffie.

"It's _December first!_" Yuffie protested.

Aerith laughed. "I mean in the day! Can't you wait until after breakfast?"

"_Fine!_" Yuffie huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "But I'm not getting dressed." She trudged over to the table and plopped down in one of the chairs, kicking her feet onto the table.

"What's this about?" Riku asked, leaning against the counter across from Aerith.

"Christmas decorations," Aerith explained, with a laugh. She was making eggs.

Riku blinked. "Christmas?"

Aerith looked slowly up at him, but Yuffie beat her to the question.

"You don't know about _Christmas!?_" She'd sat up straight in the chair, feet falling to the ground, eyes wide in apparent shock.

"Ah, no," Riku interrupted. He scratched at his cheek. "I do know about it. I just… I can't say I've celebrated it." Real Thing had celebrated it, probably, but the memories all blurred together and weren't very clear—few of the residual memories of Real Thing's he still had were clear anymore. The concept of Christmas was, at least.

"Haven't you been here a full year, though?" Aerith asked.

"I was in Castle Oblivion last December."

"Ah."

Riku rubbed at his chin. "Are decorations common for Christmas?" He felt like the answer to his question was _yes _before he'd finished answering it, but Yuffie looked about ready to burst at the chance to explain Christmas, so he figured he better ask anyway and let her.

"UHHUH!" Yuffie nodded excitedly. "We never got to do a lot of it in Traverse Town but Aerith had a whole closet of stuff that was undamaged here and it was GREAT and it was SO PRETTY!" She spoke rapidly, and loudly, a wide grin across her face. "And we're gonna put the tree up after breakfast, right Aerith?"

She hardly waited for Aerith's "Right, Yuffie" before continuing.

"And then we have to go shopping for new ornaments and candy canes because this is the only time of year we can get them and I am _out!_" Yuffie pouted and folded her arms across her chest, though the gleam in her eyes suggested she wasn't seriously upset.

"I don't think a holiday shop's been set up yet, Yuffie." Leon was coming down the stairs, straightening his jacket. "We'll have to skip ornaments again."

"Or make ones, like we did last year," Aerith suggested. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

Now Yuffie's pout looked fairly genuine.

"You can always go to another world and get them," Riku said. He shrugged, looking between the three of them. "I mean, there's Traverse Town or Twilight Town that you can check, at the least…"

Aerith and Leon exchanged glances.

"Caaann weeee?" Yuffie asked.

"I guess, yeah," Aerith said. Yuffie broke into a grin.

"Oh _yes! _Thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Leon smiled and folded his arms across his chest. If he was any other person, he might have laughed, or at least chuckled, but he was Leon, so he only smiled. "If you're that excited, Yuffie, I suppose we can start playing some Christmas mus—"

"Not until we listen to Aerith's CD!" Yuffie argued, shaking her head aggressively.

Leon blinked, though Riku couldn't say he seemed very surprised. "Well, we can put that in fi—"

Yuffie shook her head again. "Not until we put up the tree!"

"I.. alright." Leon argued no further, only rolled his eyes. He slid into the kitchen to help Aerith with breakfast. Riku supposed he should've offered to help, but it was too late now—the kitchen wasn't very large, and more than two sets of hands would've been a little too much. Riku decided to head upstairs and see if Namine was awake, instead. He wouldn't want her to miss the apparent festivities.

**xxx**

Namine already knew about Christmas, as it turned out, though she seemed pretty excited about decorating. They'd done some decorating—like putting up a tree—at Kairi's house last year, but apparently not much more than that. She also mentioned to Aerith that making ornaments sounded like fun, and Aerith told her they'd maybe make a few later. They had all month, anyway.

Breakfast went by quickly enough, though it didn't look like Yuffie ate much, and Cid certainly drank more hot chocolate than he did anything else.

"Alright! I'll go dig out the boxes!" Yuffie declared, jumping up to take her plate half-full of food to the kitchen. Cid rolled his eyes, and Aerith and Leon shared exasperated looks before Leon leaned over his shoulder to call:

"Do you need help?"

The only response was Yuffie opening the door to the storage closet.

"She'll need help," Leon said. He pushed away from the table, but Riku stood up before he could get any further.

"I got it," he said. It wasn't like he'd been eating, anyway.

"I'll hand you the boxes," Yuffie called, from somewhere in the closet. Riku wasn't sure how she knew he was standing outside it. "Just pile 'em outside the door. We'll sort 'em and stuff later. Here!" Riku found a large rectangle box with the words _Christmas Tree _in surprisingly neat handwriting being thrust into his hands. Grunting, he took it from Yuffie and turned to set it down behind him.

The process continued with box after box, Yuffie acquiring a Santa hat about halfway through. Two boxes labeled _ornaments, _one labeled _lights, _followed by two smaller shoe boxes with _hand-made ornaments _scrawled in different but equally neat letters. The last of the boxes were labeled with only a vague _Christmas decorations, _which Riku assumed meant non-tree related things. Yuffie burst out of the closet then with a grin on her lips, bending down to grab the tree's box and dragging it closer to the center of the room.

"Where are we putting up the tree, Aerith?" she called, not that she needed to, since Aerith was already out in the living room. Leon was cleaning up in the kitchen.

"Where we always do, Yuffie, by the stairs." Aerith was laughing as she spoke, moving in a dance to the pile of boxes, taking a stack from the top to move them.

Cid walked into the room, nursing a fresh mug of hot chocolate. "Still dunno how yer gettin' it there without blocking the closet!"

"Same way we did last year, Cid!" Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him. "Riku, c'mon, we're putting the tree about there so we gotta move the boxes! Oh, hang on, I gotta get the music!" She dropped the box she'd picked up—thankfully, one that didn't sound like it had anything breakable in it—before skipping off to one of the bookshelves. Riku had honestly never seen her this happy before.

"Just roll with it," Aerith told him, quietly, as she shifted another box. "Namine, are you going to stay in the dining room forever? You don't have to come help, but you should at least come out here!"

"She's helping me in the kitchen!" Leon replied.

Riku turned, checking to see that was true. It was. Namine smiled widely at him, and he smiled back.

Yuffie had her music started up then—Riku was surprised to hear not what he'd label as a traditional Christmas carol, but something… Celtic. It sounded Celtic. Silence swept through the room as it started, and Aerith paused and closed her eyes, sighing deeply. Yuffie even moved slower as she made her way back to where they would set up the tree.

"I really like this CD," Aerith explained in a hushed voice, when Riku asked her. "Especially this song. Now shh so I can hear it."

Once the song was over, Yuffie seemed to pick up speed (and noise) again, and the tree was put up in a blur. The tree was fake, which explained why it'd been in a box. Riku didn't help much when it came to setting up, except to reach the top of the tree, since he was the tallest—though he was quite sure Leon could've reached it, or Yuffie could've, if she'd stood on the stairs. Either way, he tried to stay out of it. Yuffie seemed to have a very specific place for each ornament, anyway, and if she didn't, Aerith did.

They had nearly emptied one of the box of ornaments when Aerith paused, staring at the rest of the contents of the box she held and sighing deeply. Leon came over and put a hand on her shoulder, gently. Though his following words were meant for Aerith's ears, Riku heard them well enough.

"They should go up this year," Leon said, softly. "No sense letting them sit and gather dust. The tree's empty without them, anyway."

"That's not true," Aerith argued. Her heart didn't seem in the argument, though. Leon left her there, and Riku watched from where he was sitting, as she picked up one of the ornaments and turned it over in her hands. He wasn't sure exactly how long she sat there looking at it, but finally she got up and headed to the tree, ornament in hand. Yuffie looked surprised to see her, and moved out of her way to let her put the remaining ornaments on the tree. Cid skipped a track on the CD before it got more than three notes in.

"Here, help me with some other decorations!" Yuffie said, grabbing Riku by the hands and dragging him to his feet. She roped Namine into it, as well, and they spent the rest of the CD and well into the next one hanging up other decorations around the house. Namine held the box, Riku put things up, and Yuffie told him where to put them. Riku figured he'd only been roped in so he could reach the high spots. Leon kept sending him reassuring smiles.

**xxx**

They finished decorating the house by lunch, which Riku spent the entirety of admiring the Christmas tree. It was extremely pretty, especially once lit up. Vague and fuzzy memories tingled at the back of his mind, of other trees like this, but he pushed them away. This was his first Christmas, his first Christmas tree, and he'd remember it with his own memories, of his own family, not with memories of Real Thing's bubbling at the back of his mind.

"It's even more beautiful at night," Namine whispered, coming to stand next to him. She reached out to finger one of the ornaments—a bear holding the number three, for whatever reason. There'd been a story behind each ornament, but there had been too many to keep track of them all. He resolved to ask Aerith about at least one every day for the rest of the month, or however long the tree stayed up.

"Is it?" he asked, sparing a glance down at Namine.

Namine nodded. "Yeah, because the lights stand out more."

After lunch they went shopping for ornaments, which took them to Traverse Town after a stop at the grocery store for candy. Leon explained that it would be easier to just go to Traverse Town, seeing as they'd bought ornaments from the holiday store before.

When Riku asked Aerith why they were even buying new ornaments, seeing as it looked like she had _plenty, _she broke into a small, sad smile. "Zack started the tradition," she explained. "He'd buy me one every year, and I started buying him one in return, and now it's just… what we do. We each buy a new ornament for the tree each year."

It was a nice tradition, Riku figured, and he told Aerith that. Her smile widened, briefly, but she headed off to examine ornaments in a hurry.

Riku and Namine settled for wandering around the store while everyone else looked at ornaments. Most of the time was spent baffling at some of the sillier Christmas traditions, though Riku did quietly ask for Namine to further explain Christmas to him. He understood it, at its base, but only through memories that weren't his. He wanted to know it through his own eyes.

"Aren't you two going to pick out ornaments?" Aerith asked, pulling their attention away from a rather ugly Christmas sweater. Riku stared at her in surprise. They were supposed to pick out ornaments, too?

"Can we?" Namine asked. Aerith nodded. Namine beamed and hurried over to where the ornaments were—from the way she moved, it was like she had the one she wanted already picked out, and was only moving to get her hands on it.

Riku didn't move, though. He stayed where he stood, swallowing hard. "Are you… are you sure?" he asked. He didn't want to intrude on their Christmas. Just _being _in their house had to be intruding enough, even if they'd accepted him and Namine with open arms.

"Of course I'm sure," Aerith said. She slowly folded her hands together, regarding him with a stern look. Anyone other than him would've pegged it as motherly. "You're family, aren't you? Family gets ornaments."

"I- I don't have the munny with me to—"

"I never asked you to pay."

Riku felt his cheeks grow very hot. It was a struggle to look Aerith in the eyes now, even if there was a warmth about to burst in his chest. "Are you sure?" was all he could ask again.

"Go get yourself an ornament, Riku."

The grin finally broke across his lips. "Thank you." He meant to thank her for much more than the ornament.

There were many ornaments to choose from. Riku was drawn at first to a simple one shaped like a star, which he considered for quite a few minutes. Yuffie told him to stop looking at the price and get whatever, as she opened her third candy cane to stick in her mouth. He didn't have the chance to explain to her that the price wasn't making him hesitant. When he asked Namine about the ornament, she shrugged, eyes gleaming with words he knew she would not say.

"If you want it, there's nothing wrong with getting it," she told him. "It's your choice."

In the end, he put it down. It was a nice ornament, and it brought back more fond memories than it did painful ones, surprisingly, but they were still memories of another life. One he'd like to put behind him. He had his own life, his own family, and his first Christmas did not need to be overshadowed by the thought of _her. _He put it down not with bitterness, but with a smile. _We've both changed. We've both moved on._

After a few more minutes of futile searching, Aerith came up beside him. "Having trouble picking?"

He looked at her, and shrugged, though he meant it as a yes. There were so many, all geared towards people who had different sentiments and nostalgia than he had. He didn't understand the appeal of a moose—or perhaps it was a reindeer—made out of chocolate, nor of the green character who sang, which Yuffie had picked. Namine had chosen a polar bear, though he had no idea what it meant to her. Perhaps she picked it only because she thought it was cute.

"Well, alright," Aerith said. She bent down to search on the bottom shelf. "I know it's a little untraditional, seeing as these are meant for babies, but…" She emerged holding a puppy posed next to the number one. "For your first Christmas. The series goes through five—they used to be bears, but I guess people stopped liking bears."

Riku took the ornament from her. "So I'll get one of these each year for the next five?" he asked. The bear on the tree with the number three was making much more sense.

"If that's what you want to do, yes." Aerith smiled at him. "You don't have to get this one, though, if you don't want it. It's just a suggestion."

He turned the ornament over in his hands, then slowly smiled back at her. "It's a nice suggestion. I'll get it."


	79. (ATR) Larxene sequence (Original drafts)

**AN/ **This is the original draft of the Revenge/Larxene sequence, covering the initial part of the sequence (ch11-13 of ATR). I actually went into a surprising amount of depth for something I initially anticipated to be AU!

When it comes to this, I'm actually just going to give it to you straight as it's written, with interspersed notes only when absolutely necessary, which I think is only in one place. Enjoy the original draft of this sequence! (Also, next to no input from magik was given on this, despite it including her characters at one point, so she should not be held responsible for any of it. I should be. I wrote it.)

Please be warned that this was initially written in 2012, and therefore, there's likely to be a contrast between the writing style of it vs, say, All that Remains.

* * *

><p>"Miss me?" he chuckled, darkly.<p>

She stared, confused.

"I didn't expect you to recognize me," he continued, taking a step forward. "Let me give you a hint: I'll hurt _you!_" he screamed, drawing his blade and launching himself at her.

Her eyes widened in shock and recognition, and she prepared to toss him back, just like always. He touched the ground before she expected him to, though, and before she could adjust, he had his blade at her throat.

"You're _dead!_" Larxene spat.

"So are you," Riku replied, coldly.

Larxene growled and summoned lightning to her fingertips. Noticing this, he grabbed her by the wrist and twisted her arm, canceling the lightning out.

"I wouldn't bother with that, if I were you," he hissed. "I have fought and killed twenty-four Replicas of you already, and learned to control my fear of lightning."

"Replicas?"

He rolled his eyes. "There are a lot of Replicas in my universe. But that's beside the point."

"What is the point then? That you're going to kill me, too?"

"Oh, no, not yet," he said. "Killing you would be too merciful. And if I remember correctly, showing mercy is being weak. And I don't want to be weak."

He smiled slightly as her eyes widened in fear. He distanced himself from her, banished his blade, and summoned darkness. "Now…" he said, slowly, unable to keep from grinning slightly. "Let's see what it takes to make you scream."

**xxx**

"Where is he?" Namine demanded, both frantic and furious.

The other Namine frowned. "Who?" she asked, though she had a feeling she already knew…

"Riku! _My_ Riku!"

Yes, exactly as she had figured. But… why would he have come here? Since when did he have reason to?

"I haven't seen him," she told Namine, calmly.

Namine grew even more panicked.

"He didn't stop here?"

She shook her head. "No."

Namine ran her hands through her hair, pushing it out of her face for a second as she did so, reminding the other Namine much of the Riku Replica. The movement was identical, the expression nearly so. It was frustration – anger almost – and annoyance, which she knew Namine directed both at him and herself. He'd always done the same.

"Dangit!" Namine swore. "I knew he wouldn't. He said he would, but he never does the smart thing—"

"Where did he go?" the other Namine asked.

Namine turned to her, her expression grim.

"To find Larxene."

**xxx**

"Aw… are you crying?" he taunted. "Does it hurt?"

She refused to look at him. He gave her a second, and then chucked a bolt of darkness at her. It missed her by an inch.

"Don't cry," he said, firmly. "It's annoying."

She turned to him now, and there was not fear in her eyes, but anger. He was glad to see that her face was streaked with tears, though.

"_You-_" she screamed. "You!"

He threw another bolt of darkness at her, and this one actually grazed her skin.

"Besides," he continued, not dropping a beat. "Only _weak_ people cry." He couldn't help but smile. "You don't want to be weak, do you?"

She looked about ready to strangle him.

He chucked more darkness at her to prevent that.

"No. You can't have _anyone_ knowing that the cruel, cold Larxene is actually—"

"Stop it!" a new voice screamed.

Something, rather, some_one_, came flying out of a dark corridor and tackled him to the ground.

"What the- Namine!?"

He tried to push himself up, but she held him there.

"Don't you see what you're doing!?" Namine cried. "You're no better than her!"

"Namine-" Riku tried to push himself up again. "Namine, get _off_ me!"

"Not until you promise to stop!" she replied.

"Are you trying to _protect_ me?" Larxene asked.

"No. I'm protecting him from the monster you've turned him into." She shifted so that she could look at Larxene. "Don't you see? Because of all the hurt you've put him through, he's done nothing but obsess over getting revenge! He's let it consume him-"

"So? Let him get his precious revenge!" Larxene sneered. "I thought that you, of all people, would be for this, _witch._"

Riku screamed and threw Namine off of him. She grunted as she hit the ground, but quickly pushed herself up and threw her arms around Riku's waist, holding him back. She was sure that, if he tried, he'd have absolutely no trouble getting away from her. But, for the moment at least, this would stop him.

"I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong Namine," she told Larxene simply.

Upon hearing this, Larxene seemed absolutely thrilled. "Oh, so you found another one? Tell me, does she-"

"Stop antagonizing him!" Namine interrupted. "Do you want him to keep torturing you?"

The words were foul on her tongue. She hated the fact that she had to admit it was true.

And even worse—

"She deserves it!" Riku cried.

"Maybe she does," Namine whispered, holding him closer, resting her head on his shoulder. "But you don't deserve what this is turning you into. You've let this need for revenge, you've let your hurt and your hate and your bitterness—you've let them consume you, and twist you. You've let them warp who you truly are, so much so that the people who care about the most can hardly recognize you." She blinked back the tears in her eyes and held him tighter. "I-I can hardly recognize you. I know you're not a monster, Riku, but _this—_only a monster would do this…"

"Oh, I get it, I'm a monster!"

Namine shifted so she could glare at Larxene. "If you were smart, you'd shut up until I had him calmed down!" she spat. "In fact, if you were smart, you'd just shut up, because _I'm_ not very happy with you, either!"

"And what are _you_ going to do?" Larxene asked.

Namine ignored her.

"Riku, I know she's hurt you, and I know you're mad at her, but this is too far."

He pulled away from her and got to his feet, distancing himself from her.

"Is it?" His voice was like ice – cold, but threatening to break.

"You can't just torture people you don't like!" Namine replied. "It isn't right!"

"That never stopped _her!_"

"But you're better than her."

Out of the corner of her eye, Namine could see that Larxene rolled her eyes at this.

There was silence.

Finally, Riku said:

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Namine asked. "I'm assuming not for what you did."

"No, I am not sorry for what I did – she deserved every minute of that." He turned around to look Namine in the eye. "But I am sorry for upsetting you."

"Great, but that's not what I care about."

"It's the only thing I care about."

The look in his eyes was so determined, so fierce – _screaming_ that he would not and could not be shaken from believing this.

It infuriated her.

"Could you be normal for once!?" she screamed. "Would it seriously kill you to worry about something besides the fact that I'm upset?"

"It would," Larxene said.

"What was that I said about shutting up?" Namine paused, something occurring to her. "Actually, if you were smart, you'd _leave._" She turned to Larxene, confused. "Why haven't you left yet?"

"Oh, I would've left a long time ago. But _he's-_" she jutted her chin in Riku's direction "-gone and meddled with the system so that any corridor you try and form out of here will just take you to a different part of the Castle."

Namine turned back to Riku, shocked.

"You did—what is wrong with you!?"

He was silent for quite some time. He shook, probably with anger, and when he did speak, there was hurt in his voice.

"You think I could ever run!?" he demanded. "I could try, but she'd always find me, and the pain then would be ten times worse."

Namine didn't quite know how to respond. It turned out it didn't matter, because words were leaving her mouth: "And that makes it right?" She paused, but then went on, sure that she meant this. "All the hurt that you've felt justifies this?"

Riku stared at her. Obviously, he didn't quite know what he was supposed to say, either. She couldn't blame him. They were fighting, and they hardly ever fought.

"What was I supposed to do?"

Namine chose her next words very carefully.

"You could've just shoved a blade through her gut and been done with it," she said, slowly. She took a cautious step towards him. "Or… even better…" She laid a hand on his shoulder. "You could've just let it go."

"I can't!" He refused to look at her. "And I know because I've tried!" He sounded close to tears. "Do you think it's easy to forget about something like this and just move on?"

She pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him. He fell to his knees, forcing her to sink to the ground with him.

"I never said you had to forget about it," she whispered, running a hand through his hair. "I'm only asking for you to let it go."

"But I-" The words were lost as a scream left his lips. Namine tried to hold him as he convulsed, but it was no use. She had to let go of him just to avoid the lightning shocking her, too.

"I feel like there's a perfect taunt for this situation, but for the life of me… I can't think of it."

Namine turned to Larxene, who was on her feet now and looked pretty miffed. After a moment (about the time Riku stopped screaming) Larxene shrugged and summoned more lightning to her.

Not even thinking about it, Namine got to her feet and threw herself between the lightning bolt and Riku.

The pain was unbelievable, but she clenched her jaw and refused to scream. She felt herself hit the ground. She took a few deep breaths, and then as soon as she had the strength to stand, she did. Slowly, as it hurt to move, she threw her arms out to shield Riku.

Larxene laughed.

"Oh, where have I seen this before?"

Her voice was so sweet it made Namine's skin crawl.

Larxene grinned, giggled slightly.

"Oh, that's right," she said. "This happened just about every time me, the witch, and him were in the same room." She summoned more lightning to her. "Now, since you're new to this, I'll go ahead and clue you in. Standing in front of me does absolutely _nothing._"

"I don't care," Namine replied firmly. "I'm not moving."

"You really _are_ new to this!" Larxene laughed. "Don't you know that he's going to get up any moment now and shove you out of the way so that you don't get hurt?"

"No he won't, because I won't let him."

Larxene seemed positively shocked. "Well _this_ is new," she mused. "But we'll see how long it lasts."

The next round of lightning hurt a lot worse, which Namine figured was the point. She absolutely refused to scream, though, and if there was anything she was good at, it was _not_ screaming. All the meltdowns had taught her to do that very quickly, and – now that she thought about it – lightning didn't hurt much more than a meltdown did. It was certainly easier to concentrate and push herself through it.

"Namine!"

While she was able to keep herself on her feet when there was lightning coursing through her body, she couldn't stay on her feet when Riku shoved her out of the way. Before she really knew what was happening, she was on the ground, and Riku was standing in her place. There was nothing but a glare and determination on his face. He had obviously done this a million times before.

_And I'm not about to let him do it again!_

Namine wasn't quite sure how she did it, but she somehow managed to get herself in front of Riku and take the brunt of the blow. She could hear him scream, but couldn't tell if was in pain or anger. Neither her ears nor her brain seemed to be working properly.

When everything came into focus again, Riku was on the ground and Larxene was in the going on about being surprised about something. Namine sure what she was surprised about, and honestly couldn't care less.

She tried to get to her feet, but her legs were like jelly, which she guessed was normal after taking three lightning bolts. She settled for remaining on her knees and spread her arms wide. She doubted she would serve as much of a shield, but she was between Larxene and Riku, and that's all that mattered to her.

"You've hurt him enough already," she said, trying to keep her voice even. "And I'm not going to let you hurt him anymore."

Larxene knelt down in front of her. Even kneeling, Larxene was the taller of the two, and that bothered Namine. She wished she could stand up, and though that wouldn't really solve the height issue, it'd certainly make her feel less vulnerable.

"Apparently, there's one thing that stays the same between Namines," Larxene said, roughly taking Namine's face and forcing her to look up at her. Namine didn't see what this was necessary, as she didn't plan on doing anything _but_ glare at Larxene. "You claim not to want to hurt someone, and yet you tell them things that'll undoubtedly break their fragile little heart."

The tone in her voice was mock pity, and her eyes screamed that she was enjoying every second of this.

Namine swallowed, determination faltering slightly.

She knew she was being toyed with, but that didn't stop the truth of those words from hurting.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh you don't?" Larxene laughed. "You don't know that every word you've said to him has been the equivalent of a knife through his heart?"

Namine closed her eyes for a second.

"I just want what's best for him," she said. "And sometimes that means I can't be gentle."

**xxx**

**(This is an important note, but it wasn't written into the content anywhere)**

**xxx**

"I want her to feel all the pain she put me through!" Riku screamed.

"And what do you hope to gain from it?" Namine demanded. "An apology!?"

Riku laughed. "If you expect _Larxene_ to apologize, you're crazy!"

"Then _what?_" Namine asked. "And if it's just satisfaction, than you really are no better than her."

* * *

><p><strong>AN **That's actually all there is! I'd written a thing about Namine forcing a meltdown on Larxene, but, I don't particularly like the scene in hindsight so I'm not posting it. Assume from here that they manage to subdue Larxene, or escape from Larxene, whatever. I'd initially had magik's Namine and Riku sitting around watching the surveillance footage - perhaps they realized things were getting bad and came in to help, who knows. Whatever happens, they escape, and Larxene lives, bringing us to part two which will be in the next chapter.


	80. (ATR) Larxene: HB Showdown (orig draft)

**AN/ **This is the original draft of the HB Showdown of the Revenge/Larxene sequence! Yeah! The end result would've eventually been the same. Though, at least, in this one, Leon thought to stay with Riku so he wasn't left completely vulnerable and unwatched. Also, Namine was there, in this draft, and I think she stays...? I'm not sure if it was specified...

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

><p>A dark corridor opened in front of him and a Larxene Replica stepped out. Riku frowned and summoned his blade, a bit confused.<p>

The Larxene Replica paused and the dark corridor closed behind her.

"Finally!" she sighed. "It took me _forever_ to get here!"

Riku stared.

There was… something about her tone…

Something about the way she stood…

Something about the way she looked at him—

His eyes widened in shock.

"No…" he whispered, taking a step back.

Larxene laughed at him.

"What?" she asked. "Did you think I'd just that little 'revenge' thing of yours slide?"

She took a step forward. Riku dropped his blade and took three steps back.

Larxene giggled, absolutely thrilled.

"Aw, still scared of me, obviously," Larxene giggled, thrilled.

"I am not!" he shouted.

But that was a lie.

He took another step back, stumbled, fell over. He started backing up, slowly. This scene was too familiar. Larxene obviously thought so, too, because she paused to enjoy him struggled.

He swallowed, then opened a dark corridor around himself.

He reappeared in the Main Room, and quickly dove behind a couch to hide. He hugged his knees tightly to his chest and tried to keep his breath even. He had to calm himself down. He couldn't face her if he was panicking.

But how to keep himself from panicking?

The only time he managed that was when he had darkness rushing through his head.

"Riku?"

He glanced up.

Vexen was looking over the back of the couch at him, and seemed awfully confused.

"What are you doing?"

"Hiding."

"Obviously. Any particular person you're hiding from?"

"Larxene."

Vexen's confused expression immediately became something between shock and anger.

"You didn't kill her!?"

"Namine wouldn't let me!"

"And you didn't have anyone else kill her!?"

Riku shrugged. "I thought Namine said she had someone on it, but-"

"Oh never mind that," Vexen said. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Hiding."

Vexen sighed.

"If you're going to hide, maybe you should go hide somewhere else."

"Like where?" Riku asked.

"Another world," Vexen replied. "The chances of her finding you there will be less likely."

"But-"

"He was right; there _are_ a lot of Replicas here!"

They both tensed.

"She found me…" Riku muttered, terrified.

"Don't just sit there!" Vexen hissed, rising to his feet. "Get going!"

Riku stared.

"What are you doing!?"

"Protecting you, like I should've done a long time ago. Now go!"

His panic overrode his shock at… Vexen… and Riku formed a dark corridor around himself. The corridor spat him out in Hollow Bastion – naturally, in the middle of Aerith's house.

"I really wish you'd stop doing that!" Yuffie said, throwing her hand of cards down on the table and turning to glare at Riku.

Cid frowned at their ruined game of cards. "Does this mean I win?" he asked.

Riku drew his knees to his chest again and ignored them.

_Vexen… is standing up for me…_ he thought, slowly, stunned.

_And Larxene…_

He shuddered and hugged his knees tighter.

_Hiding only delays the inevitable…_

_ Oh, I am in SO much trouble!_

"Hey, Riku, you alright?" Leon asked.

"Hiding," he replied, gruffly.

"From who?" Aerith asked.

"Larxene." He couldn't possibly hug his knees any tighter, but he was determined to try. "She found me, and she'll find me here- and then she's going to kill me and it's going to hurt like-"

"Why does she want to-" Yuffie began.

"More importantly, Riku," Aerith interrupted. "I'm sure that everyone here won't mind standing up for you."

"There's five of us and one of her-" Cid said, cleaning up the cards. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"You don't want me to answer that…"

**xxx**

A dark corridor opened. Riku scrambled as far away from it as he could, but it was only Namine who stepped out.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?" Riku shouted.

"No, we're trying to figure out what we're going to do with Larxene- actually, funny story. There was a raid and she took out like twenty Berserkers and three of Saix's Replicas… It was interesting. Anyway, she and Vexen are currently yelling at each other, and I was sent here to see how you're doing."

Riku blinked rapidly.

"Okay… so… she and Vexen are- Vexen's _seriously_ protecting me?!"

Namine nodded.

"You'll have to watch the security footage when this is over. It's hilarious."

**xxx**

Another dark corridor opened. It was Larxene who stepped out. Riku backed up and pressed himself against the wall, trying to get as far away from her as possible.

"See?" Larxene laughed. "I told him, as soon as I found you, this would be easy."

Not wasting time with any more taunts, she threw a bolt of lightning at Riku. He flinched away, but was surprised when it bounced of something three inches from him and fell harmlessly to the ground. He stared.

"What the…?" Larxene said, sounding just as confused.

Aerith cleared her throat, drawing Larxene's attention to her.

"For someone who scares Riku so much," Aerith said. "You aren't very… observant."

Larxene frowned, and opened her mouth to speak—

"If you were," Aerith continued. "You would've realized that you are in someone's house. _My_ house, to be exact, in which you are not welcome."

Larxene tried to speak again, but Aerith wouldn't let her.

"You would've also realized that there are more people than just Riku standing in this room," Aerith said. "And said people could very easily be threats."

Larxene laughed. "You? A threat?" She charged up a bolt of lightning.

Aerith prepared to cast a protect spell to defend herself, but Leon stopped her.

"I already threw one up," he said.

And, sure enough, when Larxene threw the lightning bolt, it did not hit Aerith. Larxene growled.

"_This_ is ridiculous!" she spat. She then shook her head and turned back to Riku. "Whatever, I have other things to deal with." She reached out to grab Riku by the scruff of the neck—

"I wouldn't bother," Aerith called. "That was Wall I cast on him. He's immune to both magical and physical attacks."

"Basically," Yuffie said. "You can't hurt him."

"The spell will wear off, won't it?" Larxene replied, not amused.

"Not if I keep casting it on him," Aerith said, smiling.

"My sincerest apologies," Vexen said, stepping out of his own dark corridor. "She slipped away from-" He paused, and glanced around the room. "I am in a house," he exclaimed.

"See?" Aerith laughed. "He noticed! It's my house, by the way."

"Then you must be Aerith!"

"That's me."

"Well," Vexen said. "Considering Larxene doesn't look happy, I suppose that it's safe to assume that you haven't had any trouble." He smiled at Larxene. "Are you sure this is worth your time?"

She threw a lightning bolt at him in response. He summoned his shield to block it, but he didn't need to. The lightning bolt stopped three inches from it.

"Really!?" Larxene shrieked.

Yuffie laughed. "I did that!" she called. "I figured since we were throwing protection spells around…"

"Fine," Cid grumbled. "Then I'll cast something on Namine."

"I think she's smarter than to throw something at me," Namine said. "But thank you!"

**xxx**

Vexen formed a dark corridor around Larxene. She screamed at him, but the scream was cut off—

—to be continued right outside.

They all turned to the window. Larxene was standing outside, not far from Aerith's house.

"Wonderful plan!" she called, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Send me _right outside._"

"Whoops…" Vexen muttered. "I meant to send her… oh well. I'll go deal with her." He formed a dark corridor around himself.

"Can we go help?" Yuffie asked, sounding a bit excited.

"I don't see why not…" Leon said, slowly.

"Yes!" Yuffie ran out the door.

Cid followed after her.

Riku started to move.

"You should stay here," Namine said, stopping him. "No need to put yourself in danger."

"One of us should stay with him," Aerith said, slowly. "In case she comes back…"

"I'll stay," Leon said.

"I don't—" Aerith began.

"You're needed out there," he interrupted. "To heal. I can manage protect spells."

Aerith nodded, and headed outside.

* * *

><p><strong>AN **And that's all that I wrote! Like I said, the end result would've eventually been the same, most likely, though perhaps in this case they would manage to finish her off here... I suppose since Vexen and Namine were already there, their arrival would not have provided a distraction for her to run and grab Riku, plus with Leon _guarding _Riku... Who knows. She dies, and that's all that matters.


	81. (AU) Roxas meets magik's Roxas and Xion

**AN/ **I've had this sitting around for YEARS but I never posted it? This is an AU where Roxas meets magik's Roxas and Xion because they ended up in the wrong universe and I know I was waiting until I was at the end of Dead Inside/finished with it but I don't know how I forgot to post this? Geeze it's been like six months since I intended to.

Anyway this was written by just me w/ no input from magik, which I just gotta say because I wrote for her characters and needed you to know it was me writing and not her!

As for timing: this happens sometime after Roxas is rebuilt in Dead Inside, but before endgame. That was probably obvious, though.

* * *

><p>Roxas glanced up, hearing the clear and sharp sound of Heartless being slain by a Keyblade. He groaned. "You gotta be kidding me!" he called, heading in that direction. "You're the…" He took a second to count. <em>One… two, three— <em>"Fourth person I've run into who can use a Keyblade! How many of you are there? Seriously, you're putting me out of a job here!"

He paused, now that he'd gotten closer to this mystery person with a Keyblade. They actually weren't that mysterious at all. In fact… they looked just like him.

"Wait a minute… you're… Ven, right?" Roxas said.

The not-so-mysterious person looked at him, shook his head. "No. I'm Roxas," he said.

Roxas frowned. "But… _I'm-_"

"Oh, I'm from a parallel universe," the other Roxas explained, quickly. "That's why you're confused."

"Parallel universe?" Roxas asked, even _more_ confused, now. No one had ever mentioned such a thing to him.

"Roxas, shush up!" a new voice—that was actually very familiar—called. A girl with black hair came over. She was probably with this other Roxas. But…

"We probably shouldn't say too much to him," she hissed.

"Why not?" the other Roxas said.

"He's in an Organization cloak!" she replied, as if that explained everything.

"Oh." The other Roxas's eyes lit up. "Oh! So that means… is that even possible?"

"I think I remember something about their universe being behind ours."

"Right. I ran into the Kairi from here, and she was hardly your age, so… that would make sense. But shouldn't we tell him—"

"Are you kidding? We'd mess everything up. If he's going to come to that conclusion, then he should—"

"But we'd be doing everyone else a favor!"

"But we shouldn't be meddling! Isn't that some sort of rule? 'Don't meddle with the affairs of other worlds.' That would apply to other _universes_ as well!"

Roxas only listened to them argue with half an ear. His attention was fixed elsewhere. On the girl. This girl, talking to a parallel version of himself, she was… familiar. Her face. Her voice. The way she held herself. All familiar. Comfortable, even. He _knew_ her.

But… from where?

His mind was trying to tell him that it was just an illusion, that he really didn't know her at all. But his heart—his heart was telling him otherwise. He _knew her._ He was becoming very certain of that.

But… how'd he know her?

And how'd he know her _so well?_

"I- I know you," he said, finally. Maybe she could tell him.

She glanced up at him, smiling slightly and nodding. His heart stopped in his chest. _He knew that smile._

"Yes," she said. "I'm Xion, but I'm not—"

"_Xion_!" he repeated, shocked. The word was both foreign and painfully familiar on his tongue. He clutched his head. That name. _Her smile._ "I… I have _dreams_ about you."

That was right. She was the girl in her dreams. The girl with a beautiful laugh and smile. The girl whose face he could never remember. The girl whose name he couldn't place. Here she was, standing right in front of him.

"Hmm?"

She seemed a bit confused, though.

Then again, anyone probably would be if you came out and said you had dreams about them.

"Dreams. I- I remember you. I _know_ you!" Excitement was welling up inside of him. He knew her. He _remembered_ her. All those memories, suppressed within him—leaking only into his dreams—he recognized them. He recognized _her!_ And now the memories were flooding back to him—

He clutched his head with both hands. The rush of memories hurt. "Ah-!" he gasped, squeezing his eyes shut. It was hard to keep himself upright. He wanted to fall over. He hardly had the strength—or will—to stand anymore.

_"Roxas, let's go to the beach someday!"_

_ "Sure thing. Next time I have a day off!"_

_ "Hey, what's your goal for today?"_

_ "Not sure. It's pretty high."_

_ "Great! Bet you can't kill 50 Heartless before I can!"_

_ Her face. Her smile. Her laughter. The way she lit up, giggling like she was mad as they ran around killing Heartless. Cracking jokes at each other, teasing, competing. She would grin so widely as she swung her Keyblade, happy to be helping, happy to be of use—_

The memories were too much. He thought he would collapse. An agony, a fury, beat in his head and in his chest. It wasn't fair.

He hadn't been able to save her. He should've just picked her up and dragged her with him; he just hadn't had the heart. Not to save her. Not to protect her. Not even to stand up for her when Saix found her, and killed her.

He screamed.

"_Saaaaaiiiixx!_ I will _kill him!_"

He summoned his Keyblade to him, got back to his feet, and started forward—

He stumbled. Something was wrong with his head.

_Xion._

_ Killed by Saix._

_ Saix._

_ In charge of the Replica Program._

_ The Program…_

_ Riku._

"Roxas, calm down," Xion—the other Xion—called.

He hardly heard her. Everything in his mind had settled. "No," he said, getting to his feet again. "It's all his fault. It's all Riku's fault."

"Wait, hold up!" the other Roxas said, pausing him. "How is this Riku's fault? You just said it was Saix's."

"If it wasn't for Riku, Saix wouldn't have the Program," Roxas explained, coating his words with venom. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. If it wasn't for Riku—"_If it wasn't for Riku, Xion wouldn't be dead!_" he roared, summoning his second Keyblade to him.

**xxx**

**((swapping out of Roxas's POV and into magik's Roxas's POV because I need to))**

**xxx**

"Oh he's pissed," Roxas sighed. (Magik's Roxas, just so we're clear.)

"_Really?_" Xion said, sarcastically. "How could you tell?"

"He summoned a second—" Roxas paused. "Oh. That was sarcasm."

Xion rolled her eyes. "We need to stop him!" she said.

They were lucky he hadn't really gone far. He was still ranting about how it was all Riku's fault, swinging his Keyblades about angrily. In fact, they were _really_ lucky he hadn't just formed a dark corridor and left already.

"You just said we shouldn't meddle-"

"_Yes!_" Xion sighed, exasperated. "I know. But this is a mess _we_ made! The least we can do, is clean it up."

Roxas threw his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright," he said. "And you have a point… Him going after Riku probably isn't a good idea. If the Riku here is anything like the Riku in our universe, well…" He grimaced. "Yeah. He's not going to survive that. Roxas isn't. But how do we stop him?"

Xion considered it a moment. "Hmm… don't get mad at me," she said.

Roxas looked at her, taken aback. "For what?"

Xion launched herself at the other Roxas and tackled him to the ground.

"Get off!" he shouted.

"Roxas, please, listen to me!" Xion said, ignoring him. "This isn't a good idea."

"But Riku—"

"You can't blame Riku for something Saix did," Roxas said.

"_Get off me!_" the other Roxas shouted, not listening at all.

Xion threw a glance at Roxas, but didn't take her attention off of the Roxas that she had pinned beneath her for longer than she had to. "Get his Keyblades from him," she said.

Roxas nodded, and tried to grab one of the Keyblades—Oathkeeper, he recognized it as—out of the other Roxas's hand. However, the other Roxas refused to let go, and then he threw Xion off of him. He turned and brought his other Keyblade—Oblivion, it was, of course it was—down on Roxas. Roxas had just enough time to summon his own Keyblade—which was also Oblivion, funnily enough—to block the blow.

"You won't stop me!" the other Roxas said, bringing Oathkeeper down. He then raised Oblivion and brought it down again, then alternated them, crashing them against Roxas's Keyblade in rapid succession.

"Oh, hey, I recognize this attack," Roxas laughed to himself. Not sure of how to block it, and knowing that if he didn't do something this would end with him losing his own Keyblade, Roxas ducked and rolled out of the way before a Keyblade could come crashing down on his head. He swung at the other Roxas, but that was blocked, as was the next attack.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," Xion groaned, summoning her Keyblade to her. She came up behind the other Roxas and bashed him over the head with the hilt of her Keyblade. He crumpled to his knees, dropped his Keyblades (which both vanished), and then fell flat on his face, out cold.

Roxas let out a long breath. "Now what do we do with him?" Roxas asked, banishing his own Keyblade.

"I don't know…" Xion said, sighing. She hadn't thought this far. She banished her own Keyblade, too. "That change in personality was really abrupt, though; from wanting to kill Saix to wanting to kill Riku." She knelt down to this other Roxas, thinking. The change really _was_ abrupt. Too abrupt. It was almost like—

She took a sharp breath in. "He's a Replica!"

"What?"

"This Roxas," she explained, gesturing at him. "He's a Replica! He must be! I recognize the way his thoughts shifted—I've had it happen to me before! He must've been Programed to, the moment he got the urge to go after Saix or anything similar, decide he wanted to go after Riku, instead. It's just like the Organization to do that. Especially since, if I remember correctly, Riku's been quite a pain in their butt here."

"And so they'd want to harness this Roxas's anger and pain concerning Xion's death and direct it at Riku," Roxas said, nodding. It did make sense. "But why couldn't he remember you? Her. Xion."

"They must've made him forget." Xion shrugged. "Rewrote him, after she died, probably. They wanted a Keyblade wielder, and it wouldn't be any good if their only wielder was too upset to collect hearts for them anymore."

"Heh, nope," Roxas said, laughing slightly. He knew that as well as Xion did. He knelt down next to the other Roxas—the Roxas Replica—and sighed. He looked so peaceful, now that he was out cold. "Do you think if we just leave him here, he'll forget all about it by the time he wakes up?"

Xion thought about it, then shook her head. "I wouldn't count on it."

"So what do we do, then? We can't just let him go after Riku…"

"Mmm… I don't think taking him to our universe is a good idea, and I don't know of anyone here who would be safe to take him to."

"Castle Oblivion? There's got a be a Vexen Replica who can—"

"I think Riku's in Castle Oblivion," Xion interrupted. "So, it might be best if we don't take him there. Keep him away from Riku, and all."

Roxas nodded.

They thought about it a moment more. Who else was there to go to? Then they looked at each other, the idea crossing their heads at the same time.

"Axel."

**xxx**

**((break for dramatic purposes))**

**xxx**

"Where would we find him, though?" Roxas asked.

"Ah… the World that Never Was, probably," Xion said.

Roxas grimaced. "Not sure if it's safe to go there… we stand out."

"Ugh, pity I don't have any Organization cloaks on me," Xion said. She groaned. "Life was so much simpler when we were just always wearing them…"

Roxas raised his eyebrows. "Simpler?"

Xion rolled her eyes. "In terms of clothing choice and fitting in."

Roxas chuckled, and then thought a bit more. "We could… go to his room." He nodded at the other Roxas. "I'm sure he has a few spare Organization cloaks in his closet. We could steal some."

Xion nodded. "Alright. How are we getting there?"

"Uh… I'm not sure if I could trust a star shard to keep us in the right universe," Roxas said. "Nor am I sure how well that would work—we have to carry him, so activating it might be hard…"

"Dark corridor?" Xion said. Then she frowned. "Oh, but… you shouldn't be—"

"Can't hurt me once or twice, can it?" Roxas said, laughing.

Xion smiled. "Right." She reached out and formed a dark corridor. "Let's just hope that's the right universe."

**xxx**

Thankfully, from the looks of things, it was indeed the right universe. Roxas said that, while it looked like his room, it certainly wasn't his room. There would be more dust. And he didn't have a desk. And, when he went to the closet to get them cloaks, and there were cloaks there, he was certain it wasn't his room—Sora had raided his closet a while back when he had been in need of a cloak. Roxas pulled a cloak off the hanger and tossed it to Xion, then pulled out another for himself.

"I hope this fits alright," Xion said, as she slipped the cloak on.

"At worst, it'll be big for you," Roxas assured her. "Besides, I think these things change to fit their wearer."

"For your sake, I hope they do. That looks like it might be kind of small."

The cloaks fit them just fine, however.

"Might want to keep your hood up," Roxas said. "If anyone sees your face—well, that'd be fun to explain, considering your dead here."

Xion nodded and pulled her hood up. She shivered slightly. "Ooh, been a while since I've done this." She quickly pulled the hood down, turning to Roxas. "I'm still me, right?"

He gave her a funny look, then nodded. "Yeah, of course."

She shrugged, and pulled the hood up again. "Sorry, it's just last time I wore my hood up, I was going through an identity crisis." She chuckled. "Stop worrying, Roxas, it was more of a joke than anything else." She turned to the other Roxas, who was still out cold; they'd moved him to his bed, though. "Do we leave him here?"

"Why don't you stay with him," Roxas said, after thinking about it for a moment. "I'll go look for Axel. That way, if I run into anyone, they'll just think I'm this universe's Roxas."

"Got it. Don't take too long!"

"I won't," Roxas said, heading out of the room.

**xxx**

He checked the Grey Area first, but Axel wasn't there. He hadn't really expected him to be. Had he the ability to form dark corridors, Roxas might've taken time to check the clock tower, but he couldn't form dark corridors, and didn't want to accidently end up in the wrong universe, anyway.

He started walking through the World that Never Was, ignoring all people that he passed. He passed a lot of them, too. The Vexen Replicas all ignored him. He, unfortunately, bumped into Larxene—who he assumed he was a Replica, considering everyone else seemed to be—but she only called him a jerk before starting off again. There was no sign of any other Organization members, thankfully. And no Axel.

"Ah, Roxas!" someone called.

Roxas stopped, dread filling him.

_Don't freak out!_ he told himself. _Play it cool. Can't let them know that you're not the Roxas you think you are. It's okay. Talk a little. You can do this._

He turned to find Vexen—probably a Replica, like the rest—heading towards him.

"I trust you've finished with your missions for today," the Vexen said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Just finished," Roxas said, with a nod. He started walking again.

"Where are you going?" the Vexen asked, sounding very skeptical.

"To find Axel," he replied, stopping only to glance back at the Vexen. Hopefully they wouldn't ask anymore of him. He continued walking in hopes to prevent that.

To Roxas's immense relief, Axel—the one of this universe—was just down the hall. "Axel, thank goodness I found you!" Roxas called, running to cross the distance between them. "I was afraid I'd be looking all day."

Axel stared at him, looking a bit confused. He must've sensed something was up. "Roxas?"

"I'm from the other universe," Roxas said, before Axel could be any more confused. "And I need your—" He stopped, as Axel had suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders. The look in Axel's eyes was fierce.

"You didn't run into anyone, did you?" he asked, urgently.

Roxas shook his head. "No- no one, really. I ran into Larxene, but she ignored me, and there was a Vexen Replica—"

"What did you say to him!?"

"Uhm," Roxas struggled for words, slightly shocked by all this, "He asked me if I'd finished with my missions—or, your Roxas's missions—and I told him yes. Then I said I was going to find you."

Axel let go of him, looking a bit relieved, but still worried. "Alright. That shouldn't get us into any trouble." He shot Roxas a stern look. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I ended up in the wrong universe, and—" He frowned, realizing something. "What do you mean, 'get us in trouble'?"

Axel sighed. "That Vexen Replica you ran into? That was 26. He's in charge of looking after Roxas here, now that he's- well, that's beside the point. If you had given him _any_ reason to believe that you weren't this Roxas—or you were but there was something off with you—both you and this Roxas would be in trouble! And don't even get me started on what would happen if the Organization found out about the parallel universe! You should go home before you mess anything up."

"That's just it…" Roxas said, slowly, glancing down. "I ran into your Roxas, and something went wrong with him."

That got Axel's attention. "Something went wrong?"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, he's… uhm, well, he's unconscious right now—" He grimaced, not sure how to explain all this. "Why don't you come with me, and we'll explain?"

"We?" Axel repeated. "Roxas is… _who else is with you?_"

"Just come with me!"

**xxx**

"Oh thank goodness you're here!" Xion said, sounding very much relieved, when Roxas and Axel entered the room. "He woke up while you were gone and I had to knock him out again." She gestured to where the Roxas Replica now lay; on the ground. "I couldn't get him back into his bed." She looked Roxas directly in the eye. "You're heavy."

Roxas rolled his eyes.

Axel first stared at the still-unconscious Roxas, then turned to Xion. "Xion!?" he asked, much more surprised than he was about Roxas.

She nodded. "From the other universe, too. Roxas, can I take my hood off?"

"Yeah. We'll have enough explaining to do on the off chance someone does see us," Roxas said. "I mean, there's already two Roxases in one room. I don't see how a Xion will cause any confusion that hasn't already been caused."

Xion pulled off her hood. "Did Roxas explain everything to you, Axel?" she asked.

Axel shook his head. "I couldn't think of how to explain it," Roxas said. "You seemed to know what was going on better than I did; besides, who knows who might've been eavesdropping!" He quickly shut the door.

"So what happened?" Axel asked.

"Roxas remembered me," Xion said. "Well, the Xion from your universe. And once he did, he started off, all angry and prepared to kill Saix, but then he decided to go after Riku, and we stopped him, thinking that probably wasn't a good idea. Then we weren't sure what to do, so we brought him here and decided to ask you." She shrugged. "Also, I have reason to believe that he was programmed to want to kill Riku, if he were to remember Xion. Being a Replica myself, it- uh- it's what it looked like—when he changed his mind from wanting to kill Saix to kill Riku. And I wouldn't put it past Xemnas to do that."

Axel buried his face in his hands. "You just had to meddle, didn't you?" he muttered.

"Hey! It's not my fault!" Xion protested. "How was I supposed to know that he had suppressed memories inside of him that would awaken the moment he saw my face?"

"You could've left the moment you got here!"

"We came here by _accident!_ And by the time we realized we were in the wrong universe, it was too late! He'd already seen me."

Axel let out a frustrated breath. He opened his mouth to say more—

"Stop it, both of you," Roxas interrupted. "We aren't going to get anywhere arguing, and Xion and I shouldn't be here any longer than we have to be; let's figure out what to do and get it done!"

"There's nothing we can do," Axel said, plainly.

"There has to be something, Axel," Xion replied.

"Yeah, there has to be! We can't just let him go after Riku, he'll get himself killed!" Roxas added.

Axel shook his head. "You need to go home; there will be more trouble than we need to deal with if you're discovered."

"But Roxas—"

"Do you think Xemnas finding out about a parallel universe is a good idea?" Axel asked.

"Of course we don't, Axel," Roxas said. "But we want to help—"

"Listen, I'll talk him out of it once he wakes up," Axel said. "Problem solved."

"Problem _not_ solved!" Xion said, firmly. "You _can't_ talk a Replica out of something that they've been programmed to do. Trust me. They have to have some serous self-control to resist it—it's really lucky _I_ didn't-" She stopped, shook her head. "We just wanted to help fix a mess we made."

"And that's kind of you," Axel sad. "But there's nothing you can do to help."

"Can't _we_ rewrite him?" Roxas asked. "I mean, all we'd have to do is make it so he's not programmed to want to kill Riku anymore."

"We don't have a Program," Axel replied. "We'd be in a lot of trouble if we tried to use the one here, and the one in Castle Oblivion doesn't work anymore." He laughed, bitterly. "Which is my own darn fault. If I'd just let them keep the external—not that they have the passwords…"

"Where can we get those things?" Roxas said. "If we get them, then we can take Roxas to Castle Oblivion and rewrite him."

Axel thought about it for a second, and finally, he nodded. "Alright. Xion, how good are you at hacking computers?"

She shrugged. "Not terrible," she said. "Then again, Vexen made it really easy in our universe… But I can try." She smiled, mischievously. "What do you need me to do?"

"Change the passwords to the Replica Program. Or, at the very least, figure out what they are. We can't do anything without those passwords."

Xion nodded. "Got it."

Axel smiled. "I'll get the external. Roxas, you can stay here and make sure Roxas doesn't do anything."

"Aw, why do you get to do all the cool stuff…?" Roxas muttered.

"Are you any good with computers?" Xion asked.

Roxas sighed. She had a point. "Nah."

"And I'm getting the external because it's in a place where it's likely I'll run into someone," Axel said.

"But what if someone comes to check on him?" Roxas asked. "How will I explain what happened? Or why I'm here? Or—"

Axel groaned. "Fine! I'll stay with him! You can get the external." He turned to Xion. "Okay, Xion, you'll be safest going to 37's office. Hopefully, he won't be anywhere near it. I'd send you to the Computer Room itself, but it's locked, corridor-proofed, and I don't have a key…"

"I have Keyblade," Xion said. "It should open any lock, right?"

Axel stared at her. "Yeah, it should. Do that, then. You know where to find the Computer Room?"

"Is it in the same place it's in in the other universe?"

"Most likely."

"Then I got it."

Axel turned to Roxas. "The external is- well, if you take…" He frowned. "I can't explain where the room is."

"Can you just form a dark corridor for me?"

"Sure," Axel said. "Once you're in the room, the external is either plugged into the computer or in one of the desk drawers. The external is black, rectangle, about this big:" He made the rough size of the external with his fingers. "Should be the only external. If it's not, eh, just grab all of them. Better safe than sorry."

Roxas nodded. "You got it!"

Axel looked between the two of them, sternly. "Now, keep your hoods up, don't talk to anyone, and if anyone sees you, get out of there as quickly as possible. They'll just assume you're from the Rebellion and shouldn't cause you much trouble."

Xion and Roxas nodded, understanding. Then Xion's face fell.

"Ah… the Computer Room is corridor-proofed, though."

"You can have my star shard!" Roxas said.

"But you can't form dark corridors," she argued. "How will you get anywhere?"

Roxas grinned. "I'll just make a run for it. Besides, I'm sure I'll be in less trouble seen going after the external than you'll be if you're seen hacking the Organization's computer."

"Point taken." Xion held out her hand for the star shard. Roxas gave it to her.

"Don't get caught," Axel warned. "I can't get you out of the mess you'll make if you do." Axel opened a dark corridor next to him. "Roxas, go. Xion?"

Xion formed a dark corridor around herself, probably to take her as close to the computer as possible. Roxas stepped through the corridor Axel had formed for him. Axel sighed, closed the corridor, and then picked up Roxas—his Roxas—and put him back on his bed.

**xxx**

Axel wasn't quite sure how much time had passed. But it'd been at least five minutes since he'd sent Xion and Roxas—from the other universe—to go retrieve the passwords an external. Neither of them had returned.

And to make things worse, someone knocked on the door.

Axel said nothing, hoping whoever it was would go away. However, upon not receiving an answer, whoever it was decided to just come in.

It was 26.

He said nothing for a moment, looking between Axel and Roxas.

"Were you meddling?" he asked, sternly, having figured everything out.

Axel groaned. "I just… I just knocked him out, alright?" Axel asked. "C'mon, what's wrong with that? No harm done."

"Fine. But when he wakes up, you will not interfere."

"But he can't go after Riku!" Axel said. "He'll get himself killed!"

"That's not my problem," 26 replied, simply.

"Does Xemnas know about this?" Axel asked.

26 glared, skeptical, but shook his head.

"Then we can just fix Roxas; you can make him forget everything gain, keep him from wanting to go after Riku for a while… no harm done." Axel shrugged. "I don't think Xemnas will be incredibly happy with losing his Keyblade wielder already, anyway, so it'd be better this way."

26 didn't say anything.

"He's still out cold. We can rewrite him before he wakes up. Xemnas doesn't need to know."

"Fine," 26 agreed. "But don't think I'm doing you a favor—I just don't want to deal with Xemnas when he finds out he's lost his Keyblade wielder and Riku's still a threat."

**xxx**

_A few minutes later, in the Editing Room:_

Axel stood off to the side, watching as 26 went about rewriting Roxas. He felt a bit bad. But… Xion and Roxas from the other universe seemed to have failed—they'd probably been nearly caught and headed home. Which was fine. Better this than having the Organization finding out about the other universe. That had disaster written all over it.

Of course, it wasn't long before someone arrived via star shard, somewhat violently. It was Xion. It had to be—no one else would be wearing an Organization cloak, arrive by star shard, and be so small. She really was small. Thankfully, she had her hood up, though, so 26 couldn't recognize her.

That didn't stop her from seeing her. He glanced up from his work, and just stared at her.

Axel did his best to suppress any reaction. It was surprisingly hard to do despite his lack of a heart. He wanted to scream at Xion, tell her to go, or at the very least mutter under his breath about how terrible her timing was.

Xion just took one look around the room, and, most likely understanding what was going on, said "Oh," and activated the star shard. She was gone.

"Who was that?" 26 said, turning to Axel.

"I don't know," Axel said.

"Someone from the Rebellion?"

Axel shrugged. "Like I'd know! They don't trust me anymore, remember?"

26 frowned, still skeptical, but returned to his work. Hopefully he wouldn't try and look any farther into it. Axel started racking his brain for excuses, just in case.

**xxx**

Xion landed next to Roxas, and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

"Oh good," Roxas said, not looking up. "I could really use some help. I've dug through every drawer and I can't find the external Axel's talking about." He looked up at Xion, then, and noticed just how out of breath she was. "You okay?"

"I nearly got caught. Twice."

"Yikes!" Roxas said. He close the drawer he was looking through, and straightened. "Well, should we go back to Axel then and say this plan was a bust? Or did you get those passwords?"

Xion shook her head. "Didn't have time. It took me ages to get into the computer itself, and then I heard someone coming…"

"So… we'll go back to Axel and tell him that this plan was a bust, then?" Roxas asked.

"Axel's got it covered," Xion said.

"He does?"

"Yeah. He found a Vexen Replica and they're fixing Roxas."

Roxas scoffed. "Yeah, rewriting him to do the Organization's bidding all over again, you mean," he said.

Xion shrugged, helplessly. "We should probably just go. Roxas is taken care of. Everything's gone back to normal." She turned to Roxas. "I really think it would be best if we just went home now."

"Alright," Roxas said. He didn't even look like he wanted to argue. He did pause and tug at the Organization cloak he was wearing, though. "Should we return these?"

"I think the sooner we're out of here, the better," Xion replied. "He'll have to do without."

Roxas nodded, and grabbed Xion's hand. "Home it is, then," he said, pulling down his hood so she could see him smiling at her. She seemed a bit unnerved, still, and he wanted to comfort on her. "Imagine what a story this will make, when we get back!"

Xion laughed at that, and pulled her own hood down. "Imagine what _Axel_ will say," she said.

Roxas laughed. "Let's get going and find out!"

Xion slowly grinned, and activated the star shard to take them home.


	82. (F t P ish) Persistent as Water

**AN/ **Here it is! The not-exactly-long-awaited coverage of Aqua leaving the Realm of Darkness in FtPverse. So we're 100% on timing, know that she was spat out of the Dark Realm not long after Falling to Pieces concluded. Full info on timing and stuff can be found on the BBS page on the FtPverse blogspot. A writing liveblog can be found under the tag "ftp aqua returns" on my personal tumblr.

* * *

><p>Aqua couldn't say she was sure <em>how <em>it happened. One moment she'd been walking through any old path in the Realm of Darkness, the next she found herself waking up in a sea of grass. She didn't remember falling asleep—she avoided sleep as much as possible, in fact, otherwise she'd be prey to not just the monsters, but the darkness as well. It was lucky time flowed so oddly in the Realm of Darkness.

Still, she'd definitely been sleeping in this grass, and… this didn't look like the Realm of Darkness. There was a _sun, _and a proper _sky, _for starters! She'd thought she'd never see either again. She hastily wiped tears from her cheeks, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

How did she get here? That was still the question—and, another: was this a dream?—she thought about it, but… nothing. Walking. Waking up here. That was it. She reached in her pocket for her wayfinder, out of comfort more than anything else. Her wayfinder wasn't there. She panicked, a second, before finding it in the grass before her.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she clutched it to her chest and collapsed into the grass. She was _exhausted. _Maybe… maybe it wouldn't hurt to sleep again.

The second time she awoke, she was fairly certain this was real. Nothing had changed, except the position of the clouds and the sun in the sky. There was no way she could dream the same place twice, or, it was unlikely.

Aqua slowly pushed herself to her feet, and after a long moment of hesitation—remembering what had happened the last time she'd tried this—hit the switch on her shoulder to activate her armor. That came just fine. Her Keyblade became a glider just fine. And as for the portal to the Lanes Between…

There it was.

Tears welled up in her eyes again, tears of relief. She wasn't sure how, but she was finally free of that terrible realm.

Taking a deep breath and blinking back the tears, she started through the portal.

**xxx**

Her first stop was Master Yen Sid's. He was very surprised, and very relieved, to see her. Aqua explained where she had been, though Yen Sid seemed at a loss as well for how she got out. When she asked, he said he hadn't seen Ventus around either, and doubted he was as lucky as she was. Aqua couldn't say she was surprised.

When she asked about Mickey, Yen Sid told her that he had not seen him in a while, either, but, if he knew his old apprentice, he had a fairly good idea of what Mickey was up to. There was a group called Organization 13 that was causing trouble in the worlds, and he was looking to stop it.

As it turned out, this was not the second time there had been trouble for the worlds. Very recently, in fact, a man named Ansem had been out to plunge them all into darkness—how he was stopped, Yen Sid wasn't sure. He left it at that, but Aqua got a the feeling there was something else he wasn't telling her.

"What about Terra?" Aqua asked.

Yen Sid shook his head.

"And Xehanort?"

It killed her to say his name, but she did. Yen Sid hesitated a moment, then shook his head again.

"I have not seen him or sensed him in the worlds in years," he answered.

Aqua sighed.

"Alright. Thank you." She stepped away from Yen Sid's desk. "If you see Mickey, or… or Terra—" She did not ask about Ven, having a good feeling where he was. "Could you tell them I'm looking for them?"

Yen Sid lowered his head in a slow form of nod. "Yes, I can." His hesitance suggested he did not anticipate seeing Terra, though Aqua did not blame him for that. She did not expect to see Terra, either. "Would you like me to pass the same message onto Ventus, as well, if by some miracle he is awake?"

Aqua nodded. "Yes, please."

And she took her leave.

Her next stop was home—or, it would have been, had she been able to access the world. There was some force keeping her out. Some force not even the Keyblade could unlock. It was very disconcerting, but she wasn't sure what to do about it. She considered asking Yen Sid about it, only to decide to wait. She had just left him after all. She could go tomorrow.

Seeing as home, and Ven, were not an option, Aqua headed next to Disney Town, if only to get her bearings. Yen Sid had brought up a lot of information that would take some time to digest. Disney Town's bright and pleasant atmosphere would be a nice place to do said digesting. She'd almost gone to Radiant Garden, which had a similar atmosphere—but then she'd remembered her battle with Xehanort there, and had turned her glider towards Disney Town.

Horace was very happy to see her, and even offered to set up a Fruitball court for her. The court was currently down due to the lack of tournament or festival, but he swore it wouldn't take more than an hour or so, if she really wanted to play. She politely declined.

She couldn't find Huey, Dewey, or Louie, so their ice cream game was also out of the question, not that she'd come here to play games. She'd just come here to… relax.

She was glad to see there were no more Unversed around, nor any of those Heartless. She knew what a Heartless was, of course—she'd spent the last who knew how long fighting them—it would just take her some time to get used to putting a name to the creatures.

The first time Aqua had seen Heartless outside of the Dark Realm was when she'd landed before Yen Sid's tower. A small group had come out to attack her, and she'd reacted on instinct. Magnega + Thundaga became Spell Weaver, became Ghost Drive before the Magnega was finished. She'd released Ghost Drive's finisher and cast Transcendence (sending her into Spellweaver again) before she had realized that there were no more of them. It'd also been about then that Yen Sid came stumbling out of his tower in surprise, due to feeling the strong signature of the magic she'd cast, and wondering where it had come from.

He'd explained to her what the Heartless were and where they had come from. Most of them had been summoned by Ansem. When asked about the Unversed, he'd explained since their source—Vanitas—had been destroyed, so had they.

It had been good to hear, though the presence of Heartless in the worlds still worried her.

"Aqua…?"

She looked up in surprise at the sound of her name, and was further surprised when she saw Queen Minnie standing before her. Before Aqua could say anything, Minnie broke into a grin.

"Oh, it _is _you! When Horace sent word you were here, I almost didn't believe him! Here, come on." Minnie had grabbed Aqua by the hands and was pulling her to her feet before Aqua could get a word out.

"Wh-where are we going?" Aqua asked, as she let herself be dragged along.

"The Castle, if that's alright with you," Minnie replied. "You look like you could use a hot meal, and maybe a good night's rest."

Aqua flushed with surprise at the sudden and rather unexpected display of hospitality. She considered insisting that it was alright, she was fine, but then worried that might seem rude. Either way, she really didn't have a chance to speak, because Minnie was talking again.

"I'm so glad to see you! And we're all so glad to know you're okay! Oh, and Mickey will be thrilled, trust me." Minnie smiled warmly up at Aqua, and before Aqua really knew it, they were through the Castle Gates.

Minnie looked up at her again, this time worry on her face. "Aqua…? _Are _you okay?"

Aqua blinked, and then jolted a little with surprise. They weren't just through the Castle Gates, but inside the Castle as well, and this certainly didn't look like an entrance hall. To Aqua's horror, she realized she hadn't exactly been paying attention—and had somehow completely missed the past few minutes. She tried to remember what she'd been thinking about during that time, but… She wasn't so sure she'd really been thinking of anything.

"I'm… Sorry," she said. She didn't know what else to say. "I'm just… a little… Having a hard time believing this is real." That wasn't exactly true, but it certainly sounded much better than _I accidentally zoned out for five minutes. _She swallowed. "How- how long have I been gone?" It must've been a long time for everyone to be so worried about her.

"Mm… Seven years, I think," Minnie replied. She thought about it a moment more, and then nodded. "Yes, I'm certain. It's been about seven years."

Aqua's knees suddenly felt very weak, but she did not stop, did not stagger. She hadn't been able to afford stopping in the Realm of Darkness, and even though she wasn't there anymore, it was clear old habits would die hard.

"Has it been… _that _long?" Aqua whispered. She couldn't say she was surprised by the news—she knew she had been gone a very long time—but the weight of just _how _long was still heavy. Seven years, and Ven was still asleep, and Terra… No, she wouldn't think about Terra.

"You didn't know?" Minnie asked.

Aqua shook her head. "I… no. I didn't."

Minnie considered her a long moment, and then put on a smile. "Well, come on, let's see about getting you that hot meal."

**xxx**

It wasn't much longer before they were sitting in one of the Castle's many rooms—though this one only contained a desk and a… computer. Aqua had had to ask what the device was, which had been a little embarrassing, but she'd certainly never seen one before. Not that it was a surprise. Home had never had _any_ sort of technology, and she'd also been gone for seven years.

She'd attempted to turn down the meal, but the moment she had smelled it her stomach had growled louder than it ever had in her entire life. She didn't have the luxury of being caught in timelessness anymore. So now here she was, eating_, _as she watched Minnie work with the computer from where she sat.

Aqua was a little surprised that she wasn't being made to eat at a table, but Minnie had insisted she be there when she contacted Mickey. Seeing as it hadn't been her choice, Aqua supposed she shouldn't worry too much about it. She scooped another forkful of chicken and pasta and stuck it in her mouth, forcing herself to chew _slowly. _She knew well enough that rushing the first meal after a long fast was a bad idea.

She resolved to ask what the computer was supposed to do when she was done chewing, only she didn't need to ask. Minnie had it running already. It seemed to ring a few times—there was no other way to describe it—and then an image sprung to life on its screen. It was Mickey.

"Hi, Mickey," Minnie said.

"Heya Minnie," Mickey replied.

It was some form of communication device. An instant _video _communication device. Amazing.

"Do you have a second, Mickey?" Minnie asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"Are you driving?"

"Nope."

Minnie shook her head and rolled her eyes, as if she didn't believe him. Regardless, she waved Aqua over. Aqua blinked with surprise. She moved so she was standing next to Minnie, anyway—there was nowhere to set her plate down, so she brought it with her.

Mickey caught sight of her, then jumped and immediately started fumbling with the controls of the Gummi Ship. There was the sound of screeching brakes. A few thumps. Then Mickey's full attention was on them.

"_Aqua!?_"

She waved and smiled, trying hard to hold back a laugh.

"Hi," she said.

"Where've you been?"

"Uh." Aqua stopped there. It was easy to explain—it would take four words—but for some reason she could not make her mouth work to say them. She swallowed hard, and started to try again, but by then Mickey was shaking his head and turning back to the controls.

"Oh, you know what, hang on. I'll be home soon enough. I'm not too far."

The screen went black. He'd hung up.

Aqua slowly moved back to sit in her chair, as Minnie turned to look at her. Minnie opened her mouth to speak, paused, grimaced. Aqua waited, patiently, to see if she'd put her thoughts into words or not. Finally, Minnie nodded to herself.

"Where _have _you been, anyway, Aqua?" Minnie asked, drawing the words out carefully. "Unless, of course, you don't want to talk about it. Or want to wait until Mickey gets here so you only have to explain once."

"Hmm? Oh. No, that's okay." Aqua shook her head. "I've been… I've been in the Realm of Darkness." It wasn't so hard to get the words out this time, which was a relief. "Xehanort… He…" She swallowed, pushing a piece of chicken around her plate. It was not so easy to speak of Terra. She was trying very hard not to think of the last state she'd seen him in, and how it had been his voice that had—no, no, she wouldn't think about it.

She swallowed again, hard, then continued in something of a rush, wanting to have it out and out of her mind as soon as possible. "We fought, and he sent me there, when it looked like he was losing…" That was something of truth. "And- and once I was there, I couldn't use the Lanes Between to get out, so I was stuck…"

"I'm so sorry," Minnie said. "That must've been awful."

Aqua nodded. "Yeah… Seven years of endless wandering and fighting Heartless certainly has no charm…"

"Then I was certainly right about you needing a meal and a good night's sleep."

"I guess so," Aqua agreed, with a little laugh.

"How… _did _you get out, anyway?" Minnie asked.

"I- I don't know," Aqua admitted. She shrugged, picking up her fork, though she did nothing with it. "I just woke up to day and I… I wasn't there anymore."

She let out a long sigh and aimlessly pushed a piece of chicken around her plate. She'd only eaten half of what she'd been given, but she was already full. After a moment consideration, she said: "Forgive me if this sounds strange, but… Minnie, is this… real?"

Aqua slowly pressed the prongs of her fork against one of her fingers. The sensation seemed real enough. She stopped before it could start hurting.

"Oh, Aqua, yes, of course." Minnie was suddenly grabbing her hands, briefly, squeezing them for extra reassurance. "_This is real. _I promise you."

Aqua forced the best smile onto her face as she could manage. If Minnie noticed it was fake, she did not say anything, she only moved to take Aqua's plate. "Are you done with that?" she asked, pausing only just long enough for Aqua to nod. "Maybe you should see about that good night's rest now, you think?"

"Alright…" Aqua said. Sleep—especially in a proper bed—sounded pretty nice. "Unless you think I should wait for Mickey?"

Minnie shook her head. "He could be a while longer. He never said where he was or how far away. And he'll understand. Here, let's find someone to show you to your room." She moved towards the door.

Aqua got to her feet as well. "Okay. Thank you, Minnie."

"You're welcome."

**xxx**

Aqua felt much better after a good night's sleep and a shower, though she slept longer than she meant to, and showered longer than she needed to. Well, it didn't matter. It wasn't like she had anything to _do. _She decided she did want something to eat, though, and started wandering her way to where she thought the kitchen was.

She found it alright, and bumped into Mickey when she got there. He beamed at the sight of her, and he told her as rapidly as Minnie had how pleased he was to see her, and how happy he was that she was okay. Then they got their food and sat at a table that Aqua thought looked much too big for all the residents she knew of who actually _lived _in this castle.

"Minnie made me promise not to ask you too many questions," Mickey said. "And she already told me where you've been, so you don't have to talk about that if you don't want to. But- I gotta ask. Where's Ven? And Terra?" He paused, then added: "Or is that too many questions? You can tell Minnie if you'd like. Have her yell at me."

Aqua raised her eyebrows, a little startled. Mickey saw that, then laughed uncomfortably. "It was supposed'ta be a joke…" he said. When Aqua didn't say anything, he continued. "Is Ven still sleeping?"

"Most likely," Aqua answered, very slowly, not sure what to think of Mickey's attempts at a 'joke'. She decided to just _not _think about it. It was alright to talk about Ven. "But, honestly, I don't know. I haven't been able to check on him."

"Why not?"

"Well, I took him home, but I can't reach there anymore," Aqua explained. She did not feel like explaining the part where home had been in ruins, nor the magic she'd cast on the place. "I'm not sure why." She doubted it was the magic.

"Have you talked to Yen Sid?" Mickey asked. "He might know."

"I've talked to him, but not about that," Aqua said. "Maybe I will another time. Next chance I get."

Mickey looked around, then dropped his voice to a dramatic whisper. "Minnie won't let you leave?" he asked. Aqua blinked. "She does that to me sometimes," Mickey continued. "Tells me I push myself too hard and that I need a break." He looked at Aqua, expectantly, as if he was waiting for something. Aqua wasn't sure what, though, nor what to say. Was this supposed to be another attempt at a joke?

Finally, Mickey sighed. "Look, Aqua, sorry. Maybe this wasn't the best way to do it, but I was just tryin' to getcha to smile… You look like you haven't done that in years."

Aqua pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp, but tears still welled up in her eyes, and after a moment, a smile broke on her lips. Not a very large smile, but it was still a smile. How long ago had she thought the same? How long had it been since she had thought she'd forgotten how to smile?

"I… Thank you, Mickey." The words did not come easily. She was too touched to know what to say. "That's… That's very kind of you."

He smiled widely back at her, and for a while they sat in silence, finishing off their breakfasts. Then Mickey shifted uncomfortably, and cast a hesitant look up at Aqua.

"What- What about Terra?" he asked.

The question made Aqua's heart seize, though it would be a lie to say she had not expected it. She certainly hadn't expected the seizing, though. Hadn't expected the way her mind would blank and fill with nothing but the sight of Xehanort's smirk on Terra's face, of Terra's voice—

No, no, _no. _She had spent the past seven years mulling that battle over as she wandered the Dark Realm. She would not let herself think of it again.

"Gosh, Aqua, if you don't want to talk about it…" Mickey said. "Besides… Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I know where Terra is."

"You do!?" Aqua pressed her palms against the table, getting up from her chair in her excitement. She hardly noticed the grim look on his face. Hardly noticed his reluctance to answer. "_Where?_" she demanded.

"Well, Aqua, it's not… it's not exactly…" Mickey wouldn't meet her eye. "It's not, really, _good _news…"

Aqua sat back down, slumping in her seat. "Xehanort…" she whispered. Of course. Mickey must've run into him sometime after they fought.

Mickey looked up at her now. She'd never seen him look so heartbroken in his life. "Yeah… Xehanort… He's- He was controlling Terra."

"I knew that."

"Minnie said you and Xehanort fought." Mickey cleared his throat. "Was that before or after…"

"After," she answered, knowing what the question was before he was finished. She'd fought Xehanort _after _he'd taken over Terra's body.

"I'm sorry, Aqua."

She shook her head. "Nothing you could've done." _Nothing I could've done—_she started to think, only to stop halfway through. That was wrong. She'd had seven years to think about it, and there had been so many things she could've done. At the very least, she could have _told _Terra how much faith she had in him, how desperately she'd hoped he'd work it out, instead of berating him every time they spoke. There was little she regretted more.

"Where's Xehanort now…?" Aqua asked. She'd asked the same of Yen Sid, but he hadn't answered. Maybe Mickey would.

But Mickey shrugged and shook his head. "I haven't seen Xehanort in three years. Didn't see much of him then, either—he was causin' trouble in Radiant Garden more than he did anything else. We aren't sure, but… we _think _he turned himself into a Heartless."

"What would that have done to Terra?"

"I don't know," Mickey said. "There's no tellin'…"

Aqua thought about it for a long moment, pressing her knuckles into the underside of the table. She didn't know a lot about Heartless—or, not about how they were created—and she knew even less about Nobodies. But from what she'd heard…

"Do you think… it could've released him?" she asked Mickey. She wasn't positive about this, of course, but to become a Heartless, Xehanort would've had to released his heart from his body. She knew enough about the heart to put that together. _Perhaps _doing so had accidentally released Terra's heart.

Mickey didn't seem so certain, though. "Maybe…" he said, shrugging. "I guess it's possible."

The despair Aqua had been feeling became a bit of hope. "Maybe he's out there in the worlds," she said. "Maybe Terra's out there, somewhere. Or maybe he got free of Xehanort before…" She trailed off, not certain how far she wanted to entertain _that _line of thought.

"_Maybe,_" Mickey repeated. He shifted in his seat. "I'd have to talk to Yen Sid before I was sure about any of this—and, besides. Xehanort's been a Heartless for _years_. If Terra was free, wouldn't he have shown up by now?"

"What if he couldn't, for some reason?" Aqua countered, though she understood what Mickey was saying. "What if he- what if he lost his memory?" It didn't seem very plausible. It was just better to cling to this than to despair.

"It's… possible…" Mickey agreed. "But, gosh, Aqua, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high! There's no tellin'. You wouldn't want to let yourself down."

"I should still look for him," Aqua said. And if not for Terra, then for Xehanort, or whatever was left of him.

"Well, for now, you should rest," Mickey told her, firmly, and then he laughed. "Or, that's what Minnie would say."

Aqua laughed as well. "When I'm done resting," she assured him.

She attempted to leave later that day, but Minnie talked her out of it. Or, in a lot of ways, all but forbade her from leaving.

"I know the worlds are in danger," Minnie'd said. "But I doubt they're on the literal verge of collapsing, and you can't do anything if you aren't rested!" That had been followed near immediately by her turning to where Mickey was walking by. Aqua hadn't seen the look Minnie gave him, but it was enough for him to jump, put his hands up in defense, and stammer that he wasn't going anywhere yet. The thought still made Aqua laugh a little, even in hindsight.

And that's why Aqua stayed another night at Disney Castle.

**xxx**

To say that it was the light that woke her would not, exactly, be a lie. But it wasn't sunlight that brought her out of sleep. It could not have been, seeing as it was still the dead of night. No, it wasn't sunlight that woke her, but it was still light, a presence of it beating against her heart, a presence of light she only knew one person to have.

She sat upright and glanced around the room, his name already leaving her lips. "Ven!"

A figure by the window jolted, turned away from the window, then to her. "Oh, gosh, sorry Aqua." That was Ven alright, scratching his head, and probably grimacing apologetically. She could not see it in this dim light, but she could hear it in his voice. "I know I should've waited until you were awake on your own, I was just…" He gestured at the window. "You've got a good view of the stars. Sorry. I'll go back to my room. Go back to sleep."

"What? No, wait!" That thought nearly made Aqua sick to her stomach. "Ven, hang on, you- you don't have to…" She looked carefully around her, double-checking that they were in Disney Castle, not home, not the Land of Departure. This felt like a conversation they'd had a million times before. She wanted to be sure she wasn't dreaming. But this didn't look like her room, and the big fluffy bed beneath her certainly belonged in Disney Castle. She swallowed, hard. "You can stay. Please."

"Alright. If you'd like." Ven stopped halfway to the door. "Want me to turn on a light? Or, here…" There was a bit of movement, and then Aqua was blinking at the ball of light he held between his hands. He'd always been able to do this, though his control over the light within him had never extended past little tricks such as this one. Or it hadn't since the last time they'd interacted at length.

Aqua took a quick glance around the now-dimly lit room, in part just to get her eyes to adjust. The guest rooms in Disney Castle were sparsely decorated, and each only held a large bed and a closet. Nothing more. Her closet sat right next to her window, which almost took up the entire wall. Thick curtains normally covered it, but Ven had pulled those back.

Ven…

Aqua turned her attention back to him, staring, trying not to gape, and trying to believe her eyes. He'd done more than enough to prove he was really here, but even as he climbed onto the bed and settled down at the end of it, she was still not certain she was not just hallucinating. Slowly, she reached out and touched him, fingers resting on his knee, which was the closest bit of him to her. He felt real enough. And that light he held was real enough. And the presence beating against her chest was so real she could cry.

In fact, she did cry, though she did not notice until Ven had reached towards her wet cheek.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Ven," she said, as clearly as she could. "I'm sorry. I just… You're real. You're here."

"Oh, geeze, Aqua, yeah I am. This is why I should've waited 'til you were up." He shook his head, though he was certainly only angry with himself. "Here." He tossed the ball of light up into the air, and there it hung—that was certainly something new he had learned. Before she could comment, he'd pulled her into a hug. He held her tightly, and did not let go until she did.

"How… How did you get here, anyway, Ven?" Aqua asked. "I- I mean… You were… Sleeping."

"For seven years, I know," he finished, with a laugh. "Don't worry so much, Aqua—Is it weird to say I spent that time with this kid named Sora? He reached out to me after my heart Broke, and I stayed with him until… until I was ready to go back…" Then he laughed again. "Not to mention I wasn't even sure where my body was."

"How'd you get back to it?"

"Not sure, really. Just woke up in it one day. I feel like… I feel…" Ven's face scrunched up. "I can't remember. I feel like something happened, I just… I can't place my finger on it. Oh well. Well, like I was saying, I just woke up a bit ago in what I guess is left of our home, and well… Figured I might try and hunt you down. Yen Sid said he'd seen you, and though I didn't know to look here, it seemed like a good spot to come. I ended up in the Castle's garden by mistake, but uh… What'd he say his name was? Oh yeah! Goofy found me while he was finishing his rounds and said that everyone was sleeping but that you were here and figured I wanted to see you, which I did, so he showed me to my room and told me which was yours and… Well…" He shifted a little, and now he didn't meet her eye. "I wanted to see you before I went to my room, so I let myself in, and then I… I got distracted…"

Aqua watched him all while he explained, smiling in disbelief. He really was here. He was okay. It was like a miracle—though miracles and Ven had gone hand in hand for a long time. It was still good to see him. And she was so glad he was here.

"Anyway, Aqua, enough about me!" Ven nudged her playfully. "What about you? And Terra? Where've you been all this time? And if Terra's not here—where is he?"

The smile vanished from Aqua's lips. Of course Ven didn't know what had happened to Terra, but the thought of having to tell him broke her heart.

Ven noticed her distress, and the smile fell from his face, too. "Aqua…? What's wrong? Where's Terra? Did something happen to him?" Each question became more frantic, and the light above them wavered.

Aqua nodded, unable to do anything else.

"_What _happened?" Ven demanded. "Aqua…" His whole body trembled, and she trembled with him, searching for the words to say.

"Terra… he…" No, that wasn't right. She shook her head. Tried again. "Xehanort… Xehanort took over his body."

Ven gasped. Shivered. "What- what about his heart?"

"I don't know, Ven… I'm sorry…"

She curled her fingers around the blankets, taking deep breaths and trying not to break down in sobs. She didn't want to cry in front of Ven. She was the oldest. She was supposed to be the strongest—at least emotionally. But the despair was rolling over her in waves. Terra was gone, and she hadn't been able to save him, and Ven—

Ven was pulling her into another hug. He said nothing, but he was breathing heavily, and it was that more than feeling of his body against hers, of him holding her head to his shoulder, that more than anything else that broke the dam. Tears poured from her eyes and sobs racked her chest. For the first time in seven years, she wasn't alone, but she'd never felt so broken.

"It's okay, Aqua," Ven said. He was trying to be strong for her. It knocked all the air out of his lungs. "It's okay. We'll find him. It's okay."

"I- I had to fight him," she gasped. Her heart felt like it was in her throat. "And I- I'm not sure which was more terrifying. The fact that I was fighting Terra. Or the fact that it hardly seemed like Terra at all." She didn't know why she was telling Ven. Not really. It was just the idea of telling no one burned her, and after so long, Ven was like a brother to her—_was _a brother to her, as was Terra.

Ven's grip on her lessened, for a moment. "You… you had to fight him? Aqua, don't tell me you had to—"

"No." Aqua interrupted him before he could finish, before either of them could consider that thought any longer. "No, I- I… He sent me to the Realm of Darkness when he- when he got tired of fighting me." Terra's voice rang in her ears. _Then put an end to us both._

Ven slowly pulled away from her. She didn't have the courage to tell him she wished he wouldn't, but either he read her mind, or he needed the comfort as much as she did, so he plopped down next to her, instead of across from her.

"That doesn't sound like a very fun place…" he said, slowly, with a little shudder. The light above them flickered for a moment, and he cast a hesitant glance up at it, then took a deep breath and rubbed his hands together. His shoulder was pressed against hers.

"It wasn't," she answered. "I… I had to keep walking, or the darkness would take me—and, and the Heartless…"

"Geeze, you were walking for seven years straight?" Ven asked.

"And fighting Heartless."

"Man, I got off easy. All I did was sleep! But, hey, at least neither of us had to bunk with Xehanort!"

Aqua sent him a sideways look. "That's not funny, Ven."

He shrugged. "Okay, no, sorry. It wasn't. But we'll get Terra back, Aqua. And you—you're safe now. And I'm safe. We're both safe, and pretty soon Terra will be too, alright? You know that. You went through all this trouble to protect both of us—you won't stop now. You're persistent, Aqua. You always have been."

"Ven…" Aqua looked over at him, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

He beamed up at her, then reached for his ball of light, pulling it down to him. "Why don't you get some sleep, Aqua? I'm sure you need it." He flopped back onto the pillows next to her, and then the light vanished, leaving the room in darkness.

Aqua blinked a few times, but slowly shifted so she was lying down as well. "What about you?" she asked, rolling onto her side so she could look at him, still.

"Me? I'm gonna stay here—unless you want me to go."

"I meant: are you going to sleep, too?"

He chuckled. "I dunno, Aqua. I've been sleeping for seven years. But I don't mind staying here if you want me to. Maybe I'll go look at the stars again, once you're asleep."

Aqua found herself smiling, and she closed her eyes. "Close the curtains before the sun comes up, will you? I want to sleep in."

"You got it!"

* * *

><p><strong>Bonus! Aqua arriving at Yen Sid's (scene)<strong>

_**((This was scrapped because while I LOVED the idea of it, it did not work, flow wise. Unfortunately. Here it is anyway, for your reading pleasure.))**_

**xxx**

Her first stop was Master Yen Sid's. It was something of a surprise to see those creatures she'd spent so much time fighting in the Realm of Darkness _here, _but she reacted accordingly. Magnega + Thundaga became Spell Weaver, became Ghost Drive before the Magnega was finished. She'd released Ghost Drive's finisher and had cast Transcendence (which sent her into Spell Weaver again) before realizing that there were no more of them. She flushed red with embarrassment and banished her Keyblade.

In the Realm of Darkness, those creatures usually did not stop coming, making such measures a necessity. If she'd been paying more attention, she would have realized this was not the case here—clearly—and not wasted so much energy. Not that she really _noticed _a drain on her magic levels anymore, but, still, waste not want not.

It was about then that the door to the tower burst open, revealing a very frazzled looking Yen Sid. "Who was casting such powerful—" he began, his voice booming more than she'd ever heard it. His words fell short at the sight of her, though. "_Aqua!?_"

It felt strange to describe him as looking _relieved, _but he certainly seemed glad to see her. She cleared her throat and nervously explained herself, saying that she'd only reacted on instinct, and should've been paying more attention, and that she was very sorry for destroying one of his bushes.


	83. April Fools 2015

**AN/ **This is my 2015 April Fool's joke, preserved here because losing this beautiful piece of work would be an absolute Shame. Notes/cut jokes/references to other things are at the bottom.

* * *

><p>There was a loud honk of a car horn outside. Riku put down his book and glared out the window, wondering who <em>dared <em>interrupt him when he was on the final chapter of _Time Saga: The Thirty-Second Age. _Namine was already running out the door to see what all the fuss was about. Riku glared a moment more then threw his book down, storming out to give the poor souls a piece of his mind.

Sora, along with Kairi and Aqua and Ven were all sitting in a dull-pink tricked-out convertible with _BADWAGON _spray painted on the side over Sora's crown symbol. All four of them were wearing sunglasses and bobbing their heads to the beat of some loud fist-pump and perfect-for-ass-kicking song.

Sora honked the horn again.

"GET IN LOSERS! WE'RE GONNA GO FIGHT DARKLESS."

"YEAH SWEET!" Namine jumped right over the side of the car and into the interior, squeezing between Sora and Kairi.

"What! Namine!" Riku stared in shock.

Namine reached over Sora to honk the horn at him. She'd magically acquired sunglasses as well. "GET IN OR WE'RE LEAVING YOU BEHIND, _CHICKEN._"

Riku straightened and glared twice as hard. _Chicken? CHICKEN?! _"No body calls ME chicken!" he shouted, and he jumped into the back seat of the car, squeezing in between Aqua and Ven. _Time Saga _would have to wait. Ven gave him two thumbs and a wide grin. Aqua looked over her sunglasses at him, doing nothing else but slowly bobbing her head to the music.

"LEEEESSSGO!" Sora called, revving the engine.

Ven leaned into the front seat. "YO, _SORA!_" he shouted over the music and the engine. "HOW WE GETTIN' OUT OF HERE WITHOUT TEARIN UP ANY MORE OF THE ROAD?"

Sora grinned back at him. "WHERE WE'RE GOING WE WON'T NEED _ROADS!_" he laughed, then slammed a button on the console. The car took a shuddering lurch off the ground, and as it stabilized itself in the air, Sora hit another switch, and it sprouted wings. "HOLD ON!"

They took off at the speed of light. The wind blew their hair all dramatically, and they drove off, headbanging to their music and looking cool as fuck. Except Riku, who was pressed into his seat back and who had no sunglasses and who looked like the g-force might tear his skin off his face.

"There! The Darkless!" Kairi shouted, pointing. "EVERYONE! INTO POSITIONS!"

Sora summoned his Keyblade and hung it out over his side of the car. It cut through the Darkless as they past them. Aqua stood up in her seat, her Keyblade out, making explosions in the distance on the other side of the car and blowing holes in the Darkless ranks.

"Oh no!" Namine leaned past Kairi and pointed ahead. "What is THAT!"

Aqua turned directly to where Namine was pointing, then solemnly took off her sunglasses. "It can't be…! _My old nemesis._"

"What's his name?" Riku asked, looking up at her.

"Xehanort."

Ven fainted into Riku's lap.

Sora hastily fumbled for the brakes, and the car landed back on the ground with a few jumps and jolts. As the car came towards him, Xehanrot simply stopped it by putting his foot on the front bumper. From the sound of crunching metal, he dented it.

"_HEY! _I payed a lot of munny for this thing!" Sora shouted.

Aqua slowly slid her sunglasses back on her face. Her lips were drawn in a tight scowl. "I can't believe you're back," she said, with a disdainful shake of her head. "I thought that sending you to the Fourth X Dimension twenty years ago would have taught you a lesson!"

Xehanort smirked. "No, my dear old archnemesis, it did the exact opposite. It allowed me the time to gather…" He stopped for a dramatic pause that lasted a full 5 seconds. "_An army. _NORT SQUAD! _ASSEMBLE._"

Suddenly he was flanked by 12 other people, all of them apparently Norts. Out of them, only six faces could be made out. Xemnas and Ansem, surprisingly, along with Braig, and Saix, and then…

"Roxas!" Kairi shouted, jumping to her feet. "You TRAITOR!"

"Geeze, chill Kairi, it's just a job."

"That we don't get paid for," Braig laughed, nudging him. Roxas nodded solemnly, agreeing that that indeed did stink.

Sora was slowly rising to his feet, looking at the remaining recognizeable face. "No… It can't be…" He took of his sunglasses, jaw dropping to the floor. "_My Shadow…_"

Sora's Shadow drew up to his full height, which wasn't that tall, it was like, 5'5''. Shorter than everyone but Namine. Anyway, he stared at Sora very seriously, and said: "I'm sorry Sora… I just had… a higher calling…."

Sora sniffed, holding back tears. "I- I expected horrible things from you, but nothing THIS horrible…"

"I'm so sorry, Sora," Namine said, hiding her eyes with her hand. "I foresaw this… but I didn't want to tell you. I… I knew that the truth would hurt you."

A single tear rolled down Sora's cheek. He nodded sagely. "No, don't apologize… I understand…"

"What's the plan?" Riku asked. He would have gotten to his feet had he been sure what to do with Ven. "What do we do!?"

"It's alright." Aqua patted him on the head. "I know how to deal with these guys." She jumped into the air, landing on the hood of the car (without denting it). She stared Xehanort down and readied her Keyblade, power swirling around her. "SORA! REVERSE!"

"YOU GOT IT!"

Sora thrust the car into reverse and they rolled back far enough for Aqua to have a good shot. She pointed her Keyblade at the Norts, and then shot MEGAFLARE at them.

When the dust settled, there was no Norts left.

"MY HERO!" Kairi swooned, absolutely star-struck.

Aqua smiled over her shoulder back at them. "All in a day's work…" she said, then she too, was gone, leaving them to ponder on her amazingness.

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong>

I'd been wanting to do something for April Fool's since starting FtPverse, but I've always been in the middle of some plotline, and my goals were always more like "something that would be believable in story until the last second" and I suppose in hindsight I actually, probably, could have pulled that off but there was always something stopping me when I was planning it in years past!

Anyway, this is the first time in, well, ever, that I'd had the golden opportunity of April Fool's falling when I was posting _absolutely nothing, _so I had free-reign for whatever! I actually had no clue what to do, though, and almost skipped it, but Peach suggested Gizoogle along with the obvious "horribly out of character stuff", and while I didn't go with gizoogle in the end, it did inspire this! ((So did a post on tumblr that was Kairi/Aqua vs the Nort Squad, on my tumblr at "/ post / 115351791630"))

This is also preserved on my tumblr at "/ post / 115352483995".

**Jokes I considered putting in this but didn't:**

- Sora looking at Kairi and holding out his hand "FUSE WITH ME" as a reference to Steven Universe. Honestly didn't go with it only because it would take the spotlight off Aqua at the end. Though, I also didn't want to go through the trouble of designing a Sora/Kairi fusion...

- More gizoogle-i-fied text, but that ended up with more language than I Normally Do, and might have taken this too far off the absurdity counter.

On that note, I did put some practice Xehanort scenes through gizoogle though and I was absolutely CACKLING at them. I almost posted one of those for the prank, but it felt like a crime to not even MENTION the main cast.

**References to things/other notes:**

- The "WHERE WE'RE GOING WE DON'T NEED ROADS" is a reference to _Back to the Future._

- So is "NO ONE CALLS ME CHICKEN". Initially Namine was just gonna say "GET IN OR WE'RE LEAVING YOU BEHIND" but idk that didn't seem like an absurd enough reason for Riku to hop in the car.

- The Badwagon is actually based off a car in Mario Kart 8 called the Badwagon which makes me absolutely cackle at the mention of it, because, _it's named the Badwagon._ I thought about making it an OBVIOUS reference to MK8 by saying "A car that looked like the Badwagon from Mario Kart 8" but decided that would ruin the illusion of "reality" we were playing here, in which things are Ridiculously Absurd but still played Absolutely Straight as if there's nothing absurd about them at all.

- I was going to mention "Sora was sitting in the front seat driving even though he wasn't old enough to have a driver's permit" but, again, I wanted to play this as straight as possible, so that was a No-Go.

- I _was_ going to have Riku reading the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan but that wasn't absurd enough, so the non-existent _Time Saga _was introduced.

- This was also inspired by the "HONK HONK GET IN LOSERS WE'RE GOING NORTING" thing I did on 8tracks once, except in this case they aren't going norting, they're fighting Darkless.

- Speaking of: "Darkless" is from this one post by prozdvoices on tumblr and mmMMMMMMMm no kh post has made me cry from laughter like that one has. You can find it on his tumblr at "/ post / 101274266185"


	84. (ATR) Haircuts

**AN/ **This was initially supposed to go in ATRch31, but every time I tried to write it, I kept going "THIS IS GREAT BUT THERE IS ZERO PLOT RELEVANCE" and I just, couldn't make myself write it.

But, here are the four paragraphs I got + the brainstorm for the rest of the scene

Also Riku cutting his hair was inevitable, and Aerith cutting hers was based on a post I saw on tumblr which had her with short hair and was super cute. I'll have linked to it on the blog post for ATR ch31, but it's on my personal tumblr at "/ post / 81260625621"

* * *

><p>Riku looked slowly around the front room as he finished descending the stairs. Aerith wasn't up yet—or at least, she wasn't out here. And she was usually such an early riser, too. He popped back upstairs long enough to see if she was in her room (she wasn't), then turned on the kitchen light (it was weird being down here without it on). He checked the fridge and the counter and the spot on the coffee table where he normally left his books, but she hadn't left a note. And she wasn't outside in the garden.<p>

It was strange, and he was a little worried, but there wasn't much he could do. Riku settled himself down on the couch and opened his book. He was itching to be moving, except without Aerith here and with no one else awake, he _technically _wasn't allowed to be out fighting Heartless.

Living with a family meant living with rules. None of them were really anything fancy—no arguing at the dinner table, don't be explicitly rude, everyone has chores, etc. The one about him not fighting Heartless without supervision was the only overbearing one. He understood it, of course, he just didn't like it.

They were worried about his shoulder falling out of place again when no one was around to set it (understandable). They were worried about him being reckless and trying to take on too many Heartless at once (it wouldn't happen). They didn't want him running into any Heartless who could cast Thunder while on his own (though frankly, he didn't want that to happen either).

Riku'd only just started reading when the front door opened.

x

**(here's where all I have is brainstorm notes, though, they're still pretty coherent.)**

The door opens he looks up _yup that's Aerith _and he starts make some half-sarcastic comment welcoming her back then he really sees her and he stops completely and the comment dies in his throat. Not for a bad reason! But there's something obviously different about her.

"you cut your hair…!" he says, surprised, just surprised.

She smiles brightly at him as she closes the door behind her. "Yeah! I thought it was time for something different…?" description here of her short curls + headband with the bow. "What do you think?"

"Uh, it's nice?" Riku isn't sure how to respond, honestly. "It's, uh… curly…"

"It's always been. You could just never tell when it was braided."

"Ah."

She sends him a very considering look.

"You know, maybe you should get your hair cut, too!" she tells him (as she moves, like, further into the house or something). "Or, well, we should probably trim it so it's out of your face..."

As she says it he has to push hair out of his eyes.

"I… uh…" he says, considering it, actually, but like...

"I mean, you don't have to" Aerith assures him. "Tifa wears hers down to her butt, you can too if you'd like, but I'm serious about the trim."

"I… I guess?" he doesn't really see how he's getting out of this if he says no, though, so that's partially why he agrees.

"Here, I can cut it" Aerith says already moving for scissors, probably, along with directing him to the dining room "I've been trimming yuffie's and leon's for years—I just can't cut my own, of course." She flashes a smile at him. He shrugs uneasily. She pauses. "If you don't want to do it now… or if you want to go get Namine…?"

"I… no, that's okay," he shakes his head "Just nervous. Never had my hair cut before."

"I figured that. you sure you don't want to get Namine?"

"Positive."

"Alright, well, pull a chair away from the table and sit sit."

"Actually… uh…" he coughs nervously "maybe you could cut all of it?"

She stops, stares at him very seriously. "You sure? that's a lot of hair to cut off."

He shrugs. "It's been bugging me" he says, which isn't a lie. Cue him thinking about it—it's been uncomfortably hot and just plain itchy and obnoxious at times when on his neck but tying it back gives him a headache, and there isn't a happy medium solution there, so.

"Are you positive?"

"Yeah"

"Alright, how short do you want it? shoulder length? Shorter than that?"

"Somewhere in there, just not too short."

"You got it"

~Description here, I guess, of him getting set up for the haircut ((Aerith probably has to produce a towel "because trust me otherwise you get hair pieces down your shirt and you're itchy all day—though you may want to take a shower afterwards regardless")) and how he tries not to flinch every time the scissors snip and once she's done his head feels so much lighter, etc

**(That was it.)**


	85. (ATR misc) Would you hurt your amaste?

**AN/ **FIRST OF ALL THIS IS SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T YET READ ALL THAT REMAINS CHAPTER 33

SO, YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THAT FIRST if you haven't that is

Anyway

This is not exactly the "original draft of the Shad reveal", in fact, it's Definitely Not, this is just an "oh man what if it went like this?" and then I wrote it, and then I went "aww that's nice but _the other idea is much better_" so, yeah

Also it's completely unnatural to refer to Shad by his "true" name, I can't believe I did this, it feels Wrong. ((Though I mean it's just "Sora's Shadow" in a conlang, so, hmm...))

* * *

><p>It was a jolt through his spine, a jolt that felt like it'd snap his body in two. <em>Sheto ni Sura <em>cried out, screaming, clutching at the dirt that was now beneath him to steady himself. It didn't help. Especially not when a weight landed on him—a familiar weight, but a weight that could easily tear out his throat.

_What do you think you're DOING!, _the wolf—his wolf—demanded, snarling, yellow eyes blazing with a fury.

_I was just… _he began, slowly. In the world of dreams, the world in which his wolf had him pinned now, words were not necessary. What you wanted to say and more could be conveyed through thought, could be conveyed without meaning to.

_You would hurt your _aishda?

The wolf's paws pressed deeper into his chest. Its snout was dangerously close to his throat, close enough that he could feel its breath on his skin. That made his heart pound. Or perhaps, something else made it pound.

The word _aishda, _incorrect as it was, the suggestion of it—the suggestion of Sora being his—made his heart pound harder than the threat of the wolf on his chest. He barked something that was laughter, mad giggles, and anger all at once.

_He is not my _aishda!

_Your _amaste, _then, _the wolf corrected, though a glint of laughter remained in its eyes. A glint of laughter, and a glint of fury. _Sheto ni Sura's _blood ran cold.

_I wouldn't call him that eith—_

_ Would you _hurt _him?_

Tears welled up in his eyes. It'd been a moment of weakness—a blade raised to his chest, to Sora's chest. He'd nearly plunged it home, too, had it not been for the wolf. Whether the wolf had attacked Sora in the real world, or just come to him in this world of dreams, _Sheto ni Sura _could not say.

_ I know… I-I know, _he stammered, digging his fingers into the dirt beneath him. _I-I- I wouldn't…_

The wolf dug its paws into his chest. _Then what were you doing?_

_ I don't know. _He shook his head violently. _I don't know. I just. I can't do this. I can't…_

_ That is all you've ever said! _The wolf's fury was quite clear to him now, conveyed not only in how its lips drew back to reveal its teeth, not just in the growl that rumbled in its chest. It was a flare of images and feelings raging through his mind. Hurt. Betrayal. _Longing. _The wolf really did look about ready to rip his throat out, and there was despair in its voice as it continued. _All you've ever said is you cannot, when you have not _tried_!_

Tears blurred his vision.

_I'm sorry. I just. I didn't want to be alive._

The snarl fell from the wolf's snout, and the growl stopped. It snorted, a blast of hot air against his face, ruffling his hair from his face, and smelling _disgusting. _He still hadn't figured how this wolf's breath could smell so bad when it never _ate._

_ It looks like you do not have a choice, _it told him, with a feeling of a sigh around the words. It shifted, and though all its weight still remained on him, it was placed less threateningly, as it chose to _lie _on top of him, rather than pin him where he was. It nuzzled its snout against his neck, fur and whiskers tickling his chin.

_ For what it is worth… I certainly missed you…_

He let out what was supposed to be a long sigh, but easily became a choked sob. He buried his hands in its fur.

_I missed you too, you sack of bricks._


	86. (ATR misc) Sora screaming Shad's music

**AN/ **First: warning for A Little More Swears than usual, along with My Chemical Romance lyrics ((for a single line)). ALSO SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL THAT REMAINS CHAPTER 33 YET, though, I guess my title for this one was spoilers, I just... I couldn't have titled it anything else, I'm sorry.

Second: This was another thing I wrote just kinda because "hmm this would be cool", though I did have another scene written that featured Kairi finding Sora while humming these same lyrics but that was Bad so I'm not posting it.

Third: I think this is a Really Good scene, and if it didn't require me to concretely incorporate music into mainstream FtPverse (when putting modern technology of any sort into it feels Wrong) I may have, honestly, considered it? Oh well, *shrugs*

Fourth: I uploaded two chapters at once because I Felt Like It, also I probably would've forgotten to get both up if I hadn't done them at the same time, see how long it took me to post these anyway.

* * *

><p>Kairi sent a hesitant glance up at Sora's window, though there was no denying that was his voice, no denying that was him. The only question was <em>why. Why <em>was he blaring music loud enough the whole island could hear?—and not even music she'd peg him as enjoying. That was definitely him singing to it, though, and it sounded like he knew the words pretty well.

"Sora?" she called up at him.

The only response was more singing. Kairi raised her eyebrows at the lyrics, which Sora sung with a passion.

_ Teenagers scare the living shit out of me! They could care less, so long as someone else bleeds—_

Honestly, Kairi admitted, the song was kind of catchy. The point still stood, though. This was the exact opposite of music she'd ever expected him to enjoy, and even if tastes could change, it worried her. This hadn't been his only… strange behavior lately, either. And perhaps that was what worried her the most.

She cupped her hands over her mouth and called his name again. When that didn't receive a response, she chucked a rock at his window. Near immediately he was opening the window and sticking his head out too look out at her. Instead of a grin and some excited shout, he jumped and hit his head against the window frame.

"_Shit!_" he shouted. Then he was ducking back into his room. A string of _shits_ followed, the music stopped, and then nothing. She waited a moment, but he didn't duck his head back out his window.

"Sora!" she called again.

There was a second before he was poking his head out the window, rubbing the back of his head and looking extremely confused. "Yeah?" he called down at her.

"What are you doing?" Kairi cupped her hands around her mouth again so her voice would carry. "I mean, besides playing music so loud that half the island is complaining."

"I- what?"

She stared up at him, the smile from her tease instantly falling from her lips, not that she hadn't expected this. In two words and a distracted expression, Sora had entirely summed up and confirmed her worries. Either he'd gotten better at lying, or there was something wrong with him. _Very _wrong.

"Hang on, I'm coming up!"

"Do you need me to get the door downstairs?"

"Nah!" Kairi backed up a few paces and took a dead run at the wall. Sora started some laughing protest about how he doubted she could _actually _climb it, but it died in his mouth as she reached halfway up. She'd already been a good climber, and it'd only taken a few lessons from Tifa before she'd mastered this. Good grip from her shoes, along with momentum and a _little _well placed magic was really all it took.

"That was awesome," Sora told her, as she slid through his window. She was glad, not for the first time, that windows on Destiny Islands were so large. She hadn't gone climbing through many windows, of course, but she'd been enough tight spaces over the past month or so to know her hips were bigger than she'd always imagined them.

Kairi replied to his comment with only a wink, then flopped down on his bed.

"So… I was blaring music?" Sora asked.

"Definitely. Your speakers are still on, even," she nodded over at them.

He followed his gesture with his eyes, and then his feet were taking him over there to turn them off. He grimaced at his rather meager sound system—nothing more than a Walkman with a pair of speakers attached to it opposed to headphones.

"Weird," he said, popping the CD out. "I've definitely never seen this CD before, either…" He turned it over in his hands, then started towards Kairi again. "Y'sure I was blaring music?" He asked, handing the CD to her.

She took it from him, examining it as he went back to his desk to look for the case. It was an album called _The Black Parade, _by some artist she didn't recognize. "I heard you myself," she told Sora. "But if you want me to get the rest of the street to testify, I can."

"Right…" Sora didn't even seem surprised, and his shoulders slumped in a way she recognized as resignation.

"You don't remember it, do you?" Kairi asked.

He shook his head. "Don't remember doing a lot of things lately, but… it's strange." He came over and sat down on the bed next to her, the CD case in his hands. "Look at the tracklist. I know you won't recognize 'em, and I know I shouldn't, it's just… A couple of these _sound _really familiar. _This is How I Disappear, _and _The Sharpest Lives… _I can pull up a couple of the lyrics in my head, even, if I think hard enough. And this one," he pointed. "_Teenagers—_"

"That was the one you were playing when I showed up," Kairi said. She wasn't positive, of course, but she didn't doubt it'd been that song based on the title. "You sure you've never heard these songs before? You seemed to know the lyrics pretty well, based on the couple seconds I heard of you singing."

"I was _singing?_" He turned to her, looking horrified. "Man, and if blaring music out the window wasn't embarrassing enough!"

Kairi laughed a little at his distress, then brought the conversation back to where it needed to be. "Where'd you even get this CD?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Though… I guess it would explain the lack of munny in my wallet." He took the disc from her and put it back in the case. "I mean, I wasn't sure if I was missing any, because I really never count it, yanno, but it seemed like there was some missing. Guess this is where it went."

It would make sense, Kairi agreed, silently, though the whole matter was still worrying. Playing music loudly was innocent enough, but the fact Sora couldn't _remember, _couldn't remember buying the CD, couldn't remember _a lot _of little moments of his life lately. It was worrying. No one _normally _had gaps in their memories, and the explanations for such behavior weren't exactly comforting, either…

"Hang on, don't put it away," Kairi said. "Why not play a song or two? See if they spark any memories."

"Guess it's worth a shot," Sora agreed, with a shrug. He went over to his desk.

"Make sure the volume's down," Kairi told him.

"Uh-huh. Close the window, too, would you? Don't want any more complaints from the neighbors."

Kairi moved to do it before he'd even finished asking.

"Let's see…" he mumbled to himself as he fussed over the Walkman. "Ah, I left the case on my bed, Kai. Which track was _Teenagers? _Might as well start with that one."

"Uh, ten—sorry! Eleven."

"Got it."

The song was playing within the next few seconds. Sora sat down in his desk chair, closing his eyes, listening. Kairi was dancing a little to it not long after it started—she was right. It was kinda catchy. Maybe she'd borrow the CD from Sora sometime…

Sora started nodding a few lines into the first verse. "Yeah," he said, raising his voice a little over the music, not that it was very loud. "I mean, no memories, but… I know the lyrics. Or, y'know how you can't quote them from memory but the moment the song starts you can sing along?" He waited for Kairi's nod before continuing. "It's like that. No memories, though. Uh…" He paused, face scrunched up. "Well, I guess there's kinda a vague sense of dancing around to the song? That's it, though."

"Try another," Kairi suggested.

Sora nodded. "_This is How I Disappear—_which track is that? Three, right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. That one's really sticking out to me."

It must've been, for him to remember the track number. The song started, and Sora's face immediately fell into a grimace.

"What is it?" Kairi asked.

"You ever have a song start and the opening note just… makes you feel something?" Sora replied. He didn't look at her, but at the floor. "This one's making me feel like I'm going to be sick." He swallowed. "_Without you is how I disappear…_" he quoted, then took a deep breath. "Geeze, those hurt for some reason."

"Any idea why?"

He shook his head.

"I don't think I want to listen to this anymore," he said, reaching for the Walkman.

"No, leave it on," Kairi told him, more pleading than anything else. "You wanna figure out why you have gaps in your memories, don't you?" she added, after his confused look. He nodded, but hesitantly. "This is the first lead we've had, Sora. It's something."

"Right."

He let the song play out, but he said nothing. When the next song started, he sat up straight.

"Yeah?" Kairi prompted.

"I dunno. I just… I feel angry. Upset. About ready to tear at my hair. Bitter. I…" He swallowed again, shaking his head, eyes wide. "I dunno. I—_This alone, you're in time for the show. You're the one that I need, I'm the one that you loathe—_ah!" He reached to turn off the Walkman so fast that he missed the off button and hit the open button instead. It at least had the desired effect of turning off the song.

"Sora—" Kairi began.

He shook his head aggressively. "I don't want to listen to that song. I don't like feeling like this."

"But there's gotta be—"

"No!" He shouted, cutting her off. He was up and storming for the CD case, putting the disc away with shaking fingers. "I don't like that song. I'm not turning it back on, Kairi! I'm not listening to it, I'm not—"

"Don't you want to remember?" Kairi had to raise her own voice to be heard over his.

"_No!_" He rounded on her, eyes wide, lips drawn back in a snarl. He looked wild, frantic, and he slammed the CD case into a drawer of his desk, slamming that shut with a huge amount of force. "I don't want to know! I don't want to- I don't want him to…" His face contorted with aguish, and he raked his hands through his hair.

Kairi stared at him. What had he said…? _'I don't want him to…'? _It wasn't how the sentence was left unfinished that worried her, it was the presence of the word _him. _Who was Sora referring to? Was this even…

"Sora?" She got to her feet, taking steps towards him, hands outstretched. To steady him? To grab him before he could run? He looked about ready to. "Or… or _are _you… Sora?"

She'd been doing her readings about memory gaps, and possible causes, and the one that popped up the most seemed to be multiple personality disorder, or… whatever other names it went by. There was a slightly more scientific one that she couldn't remember. Of course, she was no doctor, but it'd explain the gaps, and explain why Sora wasn't acting like himself right now. And, perhaps, it wasn't even a sickness—she hadn't seen much of him when Ansem was controlling his body, but she'd seen how the darkness had controlled it, and… it was similar to this. Not quite the same, but… similar.

She also thought the way he was acting was horribly familiar, too, she just couldn't remember who it was she knew who acted like this.

"_What?_" Sora demanded, eyes wide now in what looked closer to terror.

"This is going to sound weird, Sora, if that's you, but if that's _not_ you—"

"_Go away!_" he screamed, and he shoved her away from her. "Go away, Kairi! Just- Just _go _away!"

"Please," she began.

He shoved her again, harder, towards the window. "_Please, _Kairi!" The way his voice caught in anguish, the tilt of his eyes. They were _so _familiar. Where had she heard it before? Seen it? They immediately brought Sora to mind, but perhaps that was only because she was seeing them on his face. But whoever this was, it wasn't Sora.

"Listen, I just want to—"

"_Leave!_"

It was a roar, accompanied by a blast of magic. Kairi was too off guard to avoid it, so it hit her dead on. A hiss of pain escaped her mouth, and then she ducked back, and slid out the window, dropping to the ground with an unsurprising lack of grace. The magic, and the way it burned her skin… Darkness? Could it be?

She mumbled a Cure for herself, not knowing how much good it'd do. She shouldn't have left, and instantly regretted it, but it was hard to argue with those suffering eyes, the horrified tone. Even harder to argue when he was attacking—she could've fought back, but it hadn't been her first instinct. This was Sora, after all… Or, his body…

Who was it, inside his body, though? And why did they seem so… familiar…?


	87. (scraps) Cookie Dough: Reuploaded

**AN/ **I- I wanted chapter 1 of ASAS to be a further description of what it was / the labels for each chap and so on, and I was gonna delete this scene because it's Old and Bad except I guess it also touches some things about Joseph and Saix that probably are canon (such as Saix threatening to eliminate him and 29 going "no don't!")

So, there's that

But anyway this isn't canon this was written long before I'd established there were more Experiments around along with various other critical things, it just, yeah...

* * *

><p>Joseph sat on one of the couches with a tub of cookie dough in his lap, and he was slowly shoving spoonfuls of the chocolate chunk cookie dough into his mouth. He hadn't been in the mood for ice cream at the time, and even if he had been, no one would have taken him.<p>

"Is that… cookie dough?" someone asked. He looked up, spoon still in his mouth. It was Xion who had spoken, which was funny, she hardly ever talked to him. Mouth too full of cookie dough, he nodded.

_It's weird…_ he thought quietly to himself, swallowing and getting another spoonful. _Didn't… Demyx ask me that last time I was eating cookie dough? When was that, only two weeks ago? Things are weird on this side of the Rebellion, and I've only been here three days._

"I thought you usually ate ice cream," Xion continued.

"Not in the mood," he replied quietly.

_I wonder what it's like back at the World that Never Was… Does anyone miss me? Have they noticed that I'm gone? Out of all the Replica's, I'm sure I was the most fun to talk to._He sighed. _What would they think now? Demyx, and Xiggy, and Axel. What would they think if they knew I was part of the Rebellion now? Would they be mad?_

He shook his head, shoving another spoonful of cookie dough into his mouth. _If they knew all that Saix had said to me, I doubt they would be. But maybe they would… the Organization confuses me._

"Are you okay?" Xion asked. Joseph looked up, slightly surprised. He hadn't known Xion to show compassion.

He quickly nodded. He didn't want to tell Xion what he was thinking about. She wouldn't understand.

"Okay then," she sighed, and walked off.

_If I were in the World that Never Was, this would be about the time where Xiggy would look up from what he was doing and shout "Squirt" at me and ask me if I should be somewhere else. I miss those times. But I can't go back. I joined the Rebellion to stop Saix…. Well, and because 29 made me. But after all that Saix did, I guess I don't mind._

He lowered his spoon back into the tub of cookie dough, and paused, wincing at just the thought of some of the things that Saix had said to him. It wasn't as bad as what he had seen other Replicas go through, but it was still pretty bad.

_"Why do you hate me?" he had asked Saix. He had been much younger at the time. Okay, only a month younger, but he didn't understand as much then._

_"I don't hate you," Saix had replied._

_Joseph had frowned, not quite getting it. "You certainly don't like me," he said._

_"I do not have a heart, I don't have the capacity to like anyone," Saix replied._

_"But-" Joseph began to say._

_"You ask too many questions!" Saix snapped, and then walked off._

Joseph slowly took another bite of cookie dough.

That had been his first mistake, not realizing to just leave Saix alone.

_He was going to go on an ice cream run, as his WINNER sticks had been piling up for a while, and he needed to get rid of them. He had been going around and asking who would want ice cream. He walked over to Saix._

_"I'm busy!" Saix snapped, before he could say anything._

_"I was just going to ask if you wanted ice cream…" Joseph muttered. However, the glare Saix was giving him told him all he needed to know, and he quickly just moved on to the next person._

But he wouldn't forget that glare. The glare that Saix should have been incapable of producing, due to fact he lacked a heart. But almost every day, he would get that glare as he just walked past Saix, or was standing anywhere close to him.

It was obvious that Saix did not like him.

But he wasn't positive of that until that one day, when he had accidently overheard a conversation that he was obviously not meant to hear.

_"That boy is nothing but a nuisance and a distraction," Saix had been saying. "He has no purpose, no reason to be around, why don't we just get rid of him?"_

_"Aw! But we can't get rid of Joseph!" Demyx protested._

_Saix ignored him, eyes fixed on 29, to whom the question had been originally directed._

_"It would be going against the Master's orders," 29 replied simply, calmly._

_"Vexen is no longer around," Saix said coldly. "His orders mean nothing."_

_"I will not allow you to destroy Joseph," 29 scowled. "He has been placed in my care, and I decide what happens to him. Having him destroyed is not an option."_

_Saix's scowl darkened also. "Keep that boy in line then," he snapped. "If you fail to do so, I will get rid of you both."_

Joseph was in the middle of taking another bite of cookie dough, and shuddered at that thought. He was as good as dead now that he was on this side of the Rebellion. Anyone who was part of the Rebellion was. It wasn't like it was really going to get anywhere.

He sighed and set his spoon down, trying to find the lid of the cookie dough container. He was done eating it for now. "Man I hate Saix," he muttered, forcing the lid back on. It was being stubborn.

"I guess that's why I'm over here though," he continued. No one was listening, though. He was just talking to himself. "So that he can be destroyed and that the Replica Program can return to normal."

The cookie dough lid finally snapped back on, and he smiled.

Even if there was only a small chance the Rebellion would actually succeed, there was no way he was going to waste his time just sitting here and moping. He should try and have some fun with this.

He was definitely planning on it.


	88. (ATR misc) - Braig and Xehanort

**AN/ **I wrote this scene a while back for some practice in Xehanort's voice, and I really like it! But, I didn't think it should actually go in All that Remains. Here it is for your reading pleasure, though. (And, in most ways, it should probably be considered canon?)

This isn't exactly an "original draft" of ATRch38, but there are quite a few things Braig and Xehanort discussed in here that had to be reiterated in ATRch38, since this scene wasn't going in ATR, and it was really important info! So, yeah, that's a thing.

* * *

><p>A sharp kick to his side was what awoke him. Braig groaned long and hard, recognizing the feel of that boot, recognizing the force of the kick. "Hang on," he ground out between clenched teeth. "I'm getting up boss, hang on."<p>

"Good, I got tired of waiting for you to get up on your own."

Xehanort didn't sound like Xemnas anymore, he sounded like his old-new self. Braig coughed and pushed himself up, wishing he'd gotten the privilege of a younger new body. Xehanort was still flaunting Terra's, Braig found, as he opened his eyes. Not that that was a surprise, Braig just wished bodies wouldn't hurt so much as they got older. No wonder Xehanort had gone looking for new flesh, the whole want-to-see-the-Keyblade-War-before-I-die thing aside.

Braig got to his feet and cracked his neck, looking around. They appeared to be in Ansem's old research lab—the place where Xehanort had extracted all their hearts and turned them into Nobodies. That brought back pleasant memories. (Not.)

"You expect us to come back, boss?" he asked, rolling his shoulders. His body hadn't ached this much in _years._

"I hadn't been counting on it," Xehanort answered. "But I figured it was a likely outcome, given that Vexen from the other universe was a Somebody, and he had to have been a Nobody at some point, to have the name Vexen."

"Hey, speaking of the other universe—"

"It's still not a good idea, Braig," Xehanort interrupted. "I wouldn't trust myself in any universe but this own, and we'd have to put up with another set of so-called 'heroes' to boot! It's not worth the effort."

Braig held up his hands. "If you say so boss." He thought it would be worth it to at least _check out _the other universe, just to see how situations were there, but Xehanort's say was final, and if he said it wasn't worth it, then it wasn't worth it. "We still on the plan we've been on? Yeah? How many vessels did we need, anyway?"

"Thirteen."

"Thirteen! Right. Why do I ask?"

Xehanort raised his eyebrows, staring at Braig very evenly. Braig didn't break the expression on his face, staring back. He was the first to break eye-contact, though. He walked over to the only other thing of note in this room—Even, lying on his stomach, out cold. For the moment.

"He the only one here besides us?" Braig asked, gesturing at Even with his foot. He was careful not to touch Even, lest that wake him. Them talking might eventually do the same, so the sooner he and Xehanort were out of here, the better.

"He was the only other one here when I woke up," Xehanort replied. "And it seems unlikely anyone else was here, seeing as none of them would've left without taking Even with them."

"Or without slitting our throats."

"Or that."

Braig smiled a little.

"Should we be getting out of here before he wakes up? Unless you want to take him with us?"

Xehanort burst out into a short chuckle. Braig laughed as well.

"Yeah, that's what I figured."

"The only use it would serve is to have his Replica Program," Xehanort said. He looked down on Even like someone might look down on a small animal who was only being annoying. "And that's _if _he was a successful vessel."

"We don't need his Replica Program?"

"We don't need it now, and by the time we might need it, we won't need him to take it." Xehanort spoke with a casual confidence. "Let's go, Braig. The last thing we want is him waking up before we're gone."

"You got it."


	89. (misc) Mother 1 Localization

**AN/ **I wrote this while riding E3 hype, and never considered putting it anywhere but tumblr until now! Whoops!

I've always thought Riku is a HUUUUUUGE Mother/Earthbound fan, and while Mother 3 is his first and probably his favorite, well, he was pretty ecstatic when he heard about Mother 1's localization, just like every other Mother fan out there! So, I wrote something on it! Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Is Riku still in his room?"<p>

Namine paused her careful note-taking with the question, placing a finger in her book so she would not lose her spot, finishing the word she was currently writing before looking up. Of course, the question hadn't exactly been directed at her, Aerith was asking the room in general.

Cid shrugged. "Yeah, haven' seen him come down once."

"It's all that E3 stuff, isn't it, Namine?" Yuffie asked, from the other couch. She was doing what she normally did half the time, as in, repeatedly toss her tennis ball against the floor in a way that it always hit the wall, but not the window, and came back to her so that she could catch it. "For a guy who never seems to enjoy himself when he plays video games, he was glued to his phone all morning, and I bet he is now."

"Yeah, that's what he was doing last time I went up there, I wouldn't really be surprised if he's still doing it now," Namine replied. Her eyes flickered over her book again, not that she really took in the information she read.

"Should I be worried…?" Aerith said.

"E3 only lasts like, three days, I think," Yuffie answered, before Namine could. "I doubt it'll kill him."

Aerith slowly nodded. "He could be doing something worse, I—"

"_OHHHHHHH MY GOD!_"

They all sent their glances upwards, to where the shout had come from. It was Riku. Namine didn't think he sounded, like, hurt or anything. He sounded… excited? She still was setting down her book and her notes before she was really thinking, starting towards the stairs.

"OHHHHH!" This shout was followed by a pounding, then Riku came down the stairs quickly, jumping the last three. His eyes were wide and he was caught between gaping and grinning.

"Wha's got _you _so excited?" Cid asked, waving his mug at Riku.

Since Namine was closest, Riku grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her—a little harder than he probably should've.

"Mother 1 just got localized!" he spluttered. "Mother 1 just got—" He let go of her, grinning much wider now, and raking the hand that wasn't holding his phone through his hair. "They're calling it Earthbound Beginnings and they said it was gonna be on the eShop _today, _and they! They!"

"Your hands are shaking…" Namine said, half laughing at him. He was breathing pretty hard, too.

He nodded. Looked at his hands. Flicked through his phone a second, likely just for the action of doing it. He nodded again. "Yeah. Yeah, they uh." Riku paused, taking a deep breath as he considered everyone else in the room, who was watching him very carefully. "Uh, Earthbound," he said. "Mother 3? This- this is the first one in the series. Mother 1. They're releasing it in English."

"Haven't you already played it?" Aerith asked.

"Yeah, like, a thousand times," Yuffie added.

Riku shook a finger at her. "No, that's Mother 3. And yeah, I have played it, but… I didn't exactly pay for it."

"Why are you so excited abou' a game you've already _played?_" Cid laughed.

"It's just! If they localized Mother 1, they could localize Mother 3? They could, uh," Riku turned to Namine, still grinning. "That's the one that everyone's wanted, that fans translated into English themselves, and if we get an _official _release…!" He raked his fingers through his hair again, then moved past her towards the door. "Can I take a walk?"

"I'll go with you," Namine said, before he'd quite finished asking.

**xxx**

"You're really excited, aren't you?"

Riku nodded. He was gulping in air, and still seemed to be trembling. "Yeah! Yeah…"

"I thought…" Namine watched him carefully as he walked. "I thought Mother 1 was the bad one."

"Oh, it's!" He paused a second, frowning as he thought over his words. "Yeah, it's the one that's most tedious to grind for, and probably the least fun to play, but! It's still really exciting! And I'm still gonna buy it."

"Well, it's not like you don't have the munny," Namine agreed, with a laugh. She knew how much he loved Earthbound, anyway, so this wasn't _exactly _a surprise.

"It's just…. We could get Mother 3 in the future," Riku said. He rubbed at his head, still grinning. "We could get _Mother 3. _If Mother 1 localization gets a good enough reaction, we could get a Mother 3 localization, and I just! I can hardly believe it."

Namine smiled at him, and nodded as well. "That'd be pretty amazing, wouldn't it?" she asked. She'd only watched him play Earthbound and Mother 3, but she knew how much he loved Mother 3. They'd spent plenty a night talking non-stop about it. It _was _a really good game.

"Yeah!" Riku nodded, and just kept nodding. Honestly, he looked about on the verge of tears. "Hang on, I gotta pull up something…" He flicked his phone on, and started tapping at it.

"More news?"

"What? Oh, no!" He grinned at her. "Here, hang on…. _this._" He tapped his phone again, and a slightly muffled song started playing. After a second, Namine recognized it as Pollyanna, Earthbound's theme, which was funny, seeing as Riku hardly liked the song. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath when it started playing, though. "I want to play this on repeat for the next twenty years."

She laughed.

"That excited?"

He just nodded. "Yeah! Yeah…"

**xxx**

_I believe a dream can still come true_

_Why shouldn't I believe the same in you?_


End file.
